


Won't Say I'm In Love

by rosegoldhl (Rosegoldhl)



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, American Football, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Football Player Harry, Frat Boy Harry, Louis and Bebe are adorable friends, Louis' friends make a short appearance, M/M, Mentioned Niall Horan, Music Student Louis, No Angst, okay just a little bit of angst, talking about
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-04
Updated: 2017-11-04
Packaged: 2019-01-29 12:35:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 21,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12631188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rosegoldhl/pseuds/rosegoldhl
Summary: Reason #5 - RevengeOf course Harry had to bring his hands together in front of his chest, and pout while pleading for a chance. Louis wasn’t falling for his charm, although he had to give it to him, he had upgraded his game. Good for him. That was the part where Louis should not-so-politely decline and move on with his life. That’s what any normal person would do.Not Louis, though.“Alright, Styles. One date.”Harry is Mr. Super Athlete, Louis hates him, and somehow they fall in love.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I want to thank my beta, L, for helping me and calming me down, whenever I wanted to give up. I am forever grateful to her. 
> 
> Enjoy.

“My brain is fried. I think if I have to read one more chapter on Gregorian chants, I’ll snap,” Louis marked his page and pushed the heavy book away from his body. He had three days to finish studying, before the quiz he had to take on Monday morning. When he’d gotten the college scholarship to study music performance, he’d never imagined all of the history and music theory he’d have to study, but the long nights spent reading chapters on Medieval and Renaissance Music that seemed to have nothing to do with his major were draining all of his energy. 

Bebe raised her head, her messy bun flopping all over the place. Louis didn’t comment on it or the fact that she had a large mustard stain on her gray hoodie. She was just as stressed as Louis and a lot further behind on studying, because Bebe was already half-famous and had gigs all over town the week before. “What?” she asked, mouth hanging open, looking confused. Louis wondered if she’d fallen asleep on her notes. 

“Let’s go grab something to eat and relax a little bit. Call it a night, what do you think?” 

Bebe dropped her pen on the table and looked at her messy notes, as if she was desperate for them to make sense. “I don’t think I can do it, Lou.” 

“Of course, you can, B.” Louis reassured her. “I’ll give you my notes, if you can make any sense of those.” He packed his books into his bag, cramming his notebook on top. Bebe sighed and followed his example, gathering her things with slow, tired hands, and followed Louis out of the library. 

“Steve has a gig tonight,” Bebe said, rubbing her tired eyes and shaking her head. 

Louis’ friend and roommate Steve was an older student who had returned to school to study music technology. He also worked as a DJ, and anyone who could afford to hire him, did. Louis and Bebe had a standing invitation to all of Steve’s gigs, and they went when they could, but most of the time, they couldn’t afford to skip studying. 

“He has another one tomorrow,” Louis shrugged, opting to walk down the stairs as a form of half-assed workout, instead of waiting for the elevator. “If I finish studying, I’ll go.” 

“We’re studying Gregorian chants, Lou,” Bebe whined, “no amount of studying will ever be enough.” 

“Feels like it. Tacos?” Louis asked sympathetically, knowing very well by now how to make his friend’s day a tiny bit better. Bebe nodded and allowed Louis to take her hand and lead her out of the building, into the cold, November air. 

A few students saw them from afar and waved at them. Louis vaguely recognized some of them from a general education class he was forced to take. They waved back at them as they left the campus to find some greasy tacos to fill their starving bellies. Their favorite restaurant was open and, of course, packed with students fueling themselves for a long night of drinking. 

Louis and Bebe made their way inside the tiny restaurant, heat hitting their rosy faces. They stood in line behind a bunch of excited freshmen who were waiting to order. Louis already knew what he wanted, obviously an order of cheesy nachos was mandatory. 

Maybe Louis was getting old or people were just too loud, but he was annoyed at this point, so he got his phone out and focused on the screen, answering some texts he had received throughout the day, answering his sisters’ messages first, and then Steve’s, who insisted that Louis joined the party. Louis declined and promised to leave a burrito in their fridge for him. 

They were almost to the front of the line, when the door opened and a rowdy crowd of boys entered the restaurant. Frat boys. Louis could smell their Axe body spray. They were dressed in a mixture of overpriced sportswear, skinny jeans, and their jackets decorated with their fraternity’s symbol. Louis rolled his eyes and ignored the smile one of them gave him. 

He seemed vaguely familiar, he was probably a star athlete, whose picture Louis had used to jack off to in the past or something. No shame in that. Louis had never denied his attraction towards larger men, who knew how to use their strong hands. He had hooked up with his fare share of them during parties. 

The noise didn’t die down when the frat boys joined the line behind them. They seemed to be unable to shut up about their plans for the rest of the night—a party at another frat house. Louis wanted to ask them to shut up forever. 

Bebe was so tired that she was resting her head on Louis' shoulder while they waited in line. She was almost asleep on her feet and Louis just wanted to get their food and go. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her into a sideways hug. A shout and a loud laugh from the frat boys behind them jerked Louis and Bebe both upright. Louis turned to glare at them. Maybe Louis didn’t have size on his side — he certainly wasn’t as big as those guys behind them — but he had been told that his eyes could freeze hell. 

The moment Louis’ eyes met  _ his _ , he felt like he was having deja-vu. He was seventeen years old again, at the dreadful pizza place back home, and his breath was knocked out of his chest for the first time in his life, when he saw those green eyes and dimples that made his heart clench inside his chest. 

  
~*~

 

_ “Tommo, are you okay, mate?” Calvin had asked Louis, who had hidden behind his friends when the football team walked into the pizza parlor.  _

_ Louis had spent his Friday evening on the bleachers alongside his friends who were cheering for the school’s football team. Naturally they had won, but Louis had no interest in the actual game or the team’s victory. His eyes had been following the boy with the number fourteen on his jersey all night _ _. _ _ As he’d run around the field _ _ — _ _ thankfully, Calvin had explained most of what had happened during the game _ _ — _ _ Louis hadn’t been able to stop himself from smiling at everything he’d done.  _

_ Afterward, Harry had been standing right behind him, joking with his friends and laughing obnoxiously, and Louis hadn’t known how to look at him without making it obvious that his thoughts weren’t the usual ones a boy would have towards another. He’d been sure he was blushing from the top of his head down to his chest. Louis had stolen a glance over his shoulder, secure in his little hideout behind Nizam and Luke. Or so he’d thought. Because his eyes had met the boy’s with the jersey number fourteen under the white letters that read Styles and he almost lost any contact with his own consciousness. _

_ Harry hadn’t taken his eyes away from Louis, he kept staring right back, and Louis had felt like he was living a dream. Never in his life had he imagined that someone like Harry Styles would look at him like that. His mind, which was always creating the wildest thoughts and dreams, had started daydreaming of a scenario in which they’d smile at each other, and then they would fall in love, and then they would run away from everything and everyone.  _

_ Of course, that hadn’t happened. One of the boy’s friends, one that looked almost like a bull—tall, broad, and very intimidating—was laughing and had pushed Harry, almost knocking him over into the rest of their group.  _

_ “Styles, are you even here?” he asked loudly.  _

_ Louis should have just looked away. He should’ve turned back to his friends and give his own pizza order, follow them out of the place and go have fun, forgetting about the football player. He should have done all that, but there had been something adorable in the way Harry had blushed, when he’d been caught staring at Louis. Louis had tried not to get his mind going again, but he also hadn’t been able to take his eyes away from the sight.  _

_ “Yeah,” Harry had replied in a lovely, deep voice. Was there anything that wasn’t lovely about Harry? “I just lost focus,” he’d replied. “What’s up?”  _

_ “The girls texted us, they said they have a surprise party for us at Serena’s place. We should pick up the pizzas and join them, right?”  _

_ Harry shrugged and looked down at his shoes. Louis ignored the ping inside his chest. As if these boys weren’t getting it on with girls _ _ — _ _ they were practically the rockstars of the school. Louis didn’t know why the idea of Harry with a woman _ _ — _ _ or anyone _ _ —had  _ _ made Louis feel empty. Empty… As if Harry Styles didn’t have girls falling at his feet at every chance. Louis was being stupid and he was letting his hormones dictate his thoughts at the moment _

_ “Not much of a surprise, if they told us about it,” Harry had murmured, getting Louis’ attention back.  _

_ His friends had laughed loudly, like he had said the funniest thing in the world, but Louis had seen past the joke, he’d seen Harry’s uncomfortable staring at his goddamn awful shoes _ _ — _ _ was it required for all of the football team to wear that atrocious pair? _ _ — _ _ and the way he tried to hide his face behind a mop of curls.  _

_ “I guess they want to get some,” one of the boys said.  _

_ Louis had felt disgusted by the way they had talked about those girls. Sure, his friends weren’t perfect either, but at least they kept their crude talk for private settings. These people were loud and they made anyone with some sort of morals uncomfortable. Louis would probably die one day because he couldn’t bite his tongue; that’s what his mom always told him. And that night it was a close call, because, of course, Louis rolled his eyes and sighed, and, of course, at that exact moment the noise had died down and some of the football team members had noticed him.  _

_ “Uh… is there a problem, kid?” one of them had asked.  _

_ Louis had turned around properly to look at them, and so had Calvin and Luke, who seemed confused any of them had been addressed in any capacity. Louis should have said ‘no’, turned around, and pretended that he’d had no idea what these people were talking about, but also Louis had never been good at doing what he should.  _

_ “Kid?” he’d asked raising an eyebrow. “We’re the same age.”  _

_ “You look like a lost kid,” someone else from the team had said, crossing his arms to show off his muscles underneath his varsity jacket. “What with your ridiculous clothes, is your mommy buying them for you?”  _

_ Louis had tried to shut up. Seventeen years old and their comebacks were on a pre-school level. “It's called fashion, Brad. And I doubt you buy your own tighty whities,” Louis replied with a sarcastically, empty voice. That? He was good at that.  _

_ “My name’s not Brad,” the large boy had said, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion.  _

_ Louis had thought he heard someone chuckling from behind the boy, but he hadn’t wanted to focus on that and get lost again. _

_ “And I’m not a kid. Nor do I appreciate your very loud conversation disrespecting women. So if we could go about the rest of our day without turning this into an actual altercation, that would be good.”  _

_ The football players hadn’t seemed impressed by Louis’ attitude and for a fleeting moment Louis had thought he’d been about to get punched for the first time, but Calvin had put a hand on Louis’ shoulder and pulled him to face forward.  _

_ “It’s over,” Calvin had said to the crowd behind them and glared at Louis, silently judging him for his stupidity and his need to constantly be a smartass.  _

_ Louis had shrugged his shoulders and had decided to pretend he hadn’t been blushing, embarrassed and a little angry from all the attention from the football team and some of the other customers.  _

_   
_ ~*~

 

Louis was sucked back out of his memory when Bebe tugged at his sleeve to make him walk forward to order their food. Louis shot a brief glance back to the herd of frat boys, especially the one that triggered his memory. That was Styles, there was no doubt in his mind. 

He looked different, yet he was obviously the same gangly, lanky boy he was in high-school. He still hadn’t grown into his height, hunching a little bit next to his friends. His legs were too noodly in his basketball shorts—basketball shorts in this season, honestly!—, yet the hoodie he was wearing on top accentuated his strong arms and wide torso. He appeared to be in the middle of a growth spurt at twenty-one, which Louis didn’t know was possible, since he’d stopped growing at nineteen. His hair was shorter, curls somewhat under control, with the exception of one that he kept pushing off his forehead. What seemed different was his smile _ — _ relaxed and a little on the cocky side _ — _ as he put his dimples and charm to work. Louis was standing in front of Styles, four years later, and he wasn’t having a stroke. That was a success. 

“What do you want?” Bebe asked him, and only then did he notice that both she and the girl behind the counter were waiting for his order. 

“The usual and a burrito for Steve,” Louis said and looked down at his half-destroyed sneakers, fighting the temptation to look behind him. 

How and when did Harry Styles end up in the same college with Louis? He had attended all the frat parties around campus, he knew most of the members, and if Harry’s high school sports career and the rumors of all the scholarships he had been offered before graduation were true, he was there to be a star athlete. How did Louis miss the memo? 

“Your order will be ready in a few minutes,” the girl behind the counter said in a fake cheery voice. “We will call your number to come pick it up.” 

Louis nodded, while Bebe thanked the girl, then they walked away to stand and wait in a corner, not far from the counter. 

“I’m so exhausted I don’t know if I can stay up for much longer,” Bebe complained, rubbing her eyes. “Can I stay at your place?” 

“Sure, no problem. I don’t want you to have to go all the way to the other side of the campus anyway.” 

Louis and Steve’s couch was shitty, but Bebe seemed to prefer it to her own bed most weekend nights. Louis smiled at her and started questioning her about someone she was texting at the moment _ — _ she had been so secretive about her private life the past few weeks _ — _ until their number was called. Louis picked up their order, carrying the large paper bags in his arms, and followed his friend to the exit. 

When he got to the door, he noticed Harry staring at him intently, probably trying to remember who Louis was. His arrogant smile and wink when Louis met his stare wasn’t charming at all, so Louis turned his head and pretended he had no idea who Harry was. He had managed to go three years of college without seeing him, he was sure he could finish his senior year without bumping into him again. 


	2. Chapter 2

It was pretty chilly for most students to sit outside, but Louis enjoyed the fresh air hitting his face. Nothing that an extra layer of clothing couldn’t protect him from. His next class didn’t start for another half hour, so he looked for a spot to sit down. He found an unoccupied bench under a tree and he made his way there. He dropped his bag next to him and searched the front pocket for his granola bar, then munched on it while he scrolled through his Instagram feed, liking random pictures here and there and checking a meme that Calvin had sent him that morning. He replied with a laughing emoji and moved on to replying to his siblings’ messages, asking them to tell him about their days when they come back from school. 

Lottie had replied right away, because it was lunch hour for her, so he was too busy to notice that someone sat down next to him. Until that someone coughed to clear their throat and spoke up. 

“Hey.” 

Louis almost snapped his neck when he turned to look at the person speaking in that low, gravely voice.  _ Oh _ . He thought he would be able to avoid the star athlete, Harry Styles. Because Louis was right and he had felt so stupid when he found out that everyone knew about him, including Bebe and Steve. Apparently Harry was a sophomore, a recent addition to the football team, a position he had secured when he was barely sixteen years old. Maybe that’s why he hadn’t heard about him yet. Still he should have known, since his pictures were everywhere. Louis wondered how many other things he’d overlooked, busy with his own life. 

“Hi?” Louis’ greeting sounded like a question. Mainly because he wanted to ask one. What the hell was Harry doing there? 

“Um— yeah— what are you doing?” 

Seriously, what the fuck? “I am… enjoying my snack?” 

Harry bit his bottom lip and rubbed the back of his neck with his right hand, while he stared at Louis for a moment and then looked down at his entwined fingers. Louis didn’t know what he was supposed to do. He wasn’t sure if Harry recognized him. It didn’t seem like it If he did, Louis couldn’t believe Harry would have the audacity to talk to him. 

“Do you want something?” Louis tried him. 

“My name’s Harry,” he said and raised his bright green eyes to look at Louis. “Harry Styles.” 

“Okay?” Louis was so confused by this interaction. “Can I help you?” 

“You can start by giving me your name.” 

Of course Harry had forgotten Louis. He was exactly the kind of boy who only cared about himself, and others seized to exist when he had nothing to gain from them. Various creative insults formulated in his head, but Louis bit his tongue, keeping his cool, indifferent exterior. 

“Louis.” He had contemplated to give a fake name, but he was sure that even if Louis had given his full name and background, Styles would still have no idea who he was. “Louis Tomlinson,” he said for emphasis and as he guessed, Harry seemed to be oblivious. Perfect. 

“Nice to meet you.” 

“I don’t know you.” 

Harry nodded shyly, a very different vision for the boy he was used to and the boy he had seen that Friday night at the tacos place. “You could— I mean, I saw you at that Mexican restaurant the other night, right?” 

Louis shrugged his shoulders, considering getting up and leaving Styles behind. He really, really didn’t want to be near him and he didn’t care to hear whatever bullshit he was about to say. But for some stupid reason, he stayed there glued to the bench. 

“I think I saw you with your girlfriend,” Harry’s voice wasn’t confident like Louis remembered it or imagined it would be. A ploy, probably, to have Louis do something stupid for him. Maybe it was a frat prank, some sort of initiation that he had to go through. 

Louis suppressed a laugh in the idea of him and Bebe dating. Actually, in the idea of himself with any woman. “Okay?” 

“Wait, she’s your girlfriend?” Harry asked taken aback as if he wasn’t the one making the assumption. 

Louis was losing his patience. “She’s my friend, not that it’s any of your business. I find your questions a bit forward, don’t you think?” 

“I just—” Harry took a deep breath and rubbed his hands together, “I wanted to ask if you’d like to join me for a cup of coffee at the café. It’s pretty chilly here, don’t you think?” 

Louis squinted his eyes, staring at Harry, almost daring him to prove that Louis wasn’t wasting his precious time listening to him. Harry was just looking for an easy fuck. He was probably used to people tripping over themselves to fall into bed with him

“I need to go to class,” Louis dismissed him, getting up and collecting his things as fast as he could. 

“Oh, alright,” Harry said and he got up to follow Louis, who walked away without a goodbye. He didn’t care to be polite. Harry didn’t deserve it in his opinion. “Do you want to meet after, maybe?” 

“Studying.” Louis lengthened his gait, even though he knew that an athlete, who was taller and obviously fitter than him, could not only keep up, but probably outrun him. That didn’t mean that he wouldn’t try to make it clear he was trying to get away. 

“Tomorrow morning? I go there before classes, you can join me, if you want.” 

“I don’t want to,” Louis said though his teeth, but he was perfectly heard by the other boy. 

“Oh, okay,” Harry said, sounding defeated. Louis would never believe this boy cared that Louis rejected him. Though, maybe his reaction was genuine and he was that full of himself that he couldn’t believe anyone would say no to him. “Is there a reason?” 

“Yes.” Louis stopped suddenly and turned to look at Harry who almost fell down, clumsily stumbling over his own feet. Louis wondered how Harry managed to be an athlete on his level, but then again he didn’t care. “I don’t want to go out with you, because I’m not interested.” 

Harry gaped at him for a moment and Louis almost punched him. Almost. He certainly thought about it. The other boy seemed to recover rather quickly, because his stupid dimpled smirk returned and it was cocky as all hell. A complete contrast to the awkward mess he was moments ago, reaffirming Louis’ suspicion that everything was an act. 

_ Oh, boy _ . 

“Who said I was asking you out on a date?” 

_ Oh, boy _ . He wanted to play games. As if he thought he was smarter than Louis. 

“Dude,” Louis said staring down at him, “you are a star around here, I’m pretty sure you have plenty of friends, you don’t need me. So it’s safe to say you’re interested in something else.” 

“So you do know me,” Harry said triumphantly. Asshole. Louis wondered when it would be an appropriate time to smack him. 

He rolled his eyes, huffing loudly. “Your name is vaguely familiar to me, yes. But I don’t know you. And you don’t know me, so it’s a little weird you’re asking me out, don’t you think?” 

“I—” Styles sighed, seeming confused by Louis. Good. “I just think you’re gorgeous. Am I allowed to say that or am I coming on too strong?” 

Louis stared at him and considered his options. He could tell him that yes, he was coming on too strong and then leave him standing there. Or he could play along and see where this would go. 

“I am gorgeous,” Louis agreed with a nod. “But that doesn’t give you the right to hit on me.” 

“Okay, you’re right. I agree. But—” Harry seemed desperate to find the right thing to say and good! Louis was glad he was making this hard for him. “I also think you’re interesting? Obviously not making this easy and all, and like… you seem cool? You eat granola bars, that means you’re interesting.” 

“What?” 

“I don’t know. Look, Louis—Can I call you Louis?” 

Louis furrowed his eyebrows and looked around. If this was some sort of stupid prank being filmed, he would kill him. “It’s my name?” 

“Okay, great. Louis, I just would like to get to know you better, if you want, of course. If you say no, I’ll leave you alone. I know no means no and I don’t want to be a prick. I just really, really want to buy you coffee.” 

Of course Harry had to bring his hands together in front of his chest, and pout while pleading for a chance. Louis wasn’t falling for his charm, although he had to give it to him, he had upgraded his game. Good for him. That was the part where Louis should not-so-politely decline and move on with his life. That’s what any normal person would do. 

Not Louis, though. 

“Alright, Styles. One date.” 

“You’re kidding,” Harry said, his mouth going slack and raising his eyebrows in disbelief.

Louis would let him think he had fallen for the Styles’ charm. He could live with that, if it meant he’d get to expose his plans, whatever they were. 

“Am I laughing? Tomorrow morning I’ll be at the cafe at 9am. If you’re not there by 9:10, I’ll leave.” 

“I’ll be there at 10 to 9,” Harry’s smile grew wide and he giggled. Fuck him. “Thanks.” 

“Alright. I’ll be late for class. See you tomorrow, Styles.” Louis started walking again. “Don’t be late,” he threw over his shoulder. 

“Promise.” 

Louis would never believe any of Harry’s promises, but as he walked up the stairs of the main building to get to his Music Theory class, a plan started weaving inside his mind. If Harry wanted to play games with him, Louis would play along and finally get revenge. Smiling, he let out a sigh and opened the main door, knowing very well that Harry was still standing at the bottom of the steps watching him walk away. 

 

~*~

 

The unmistakable scent of pizza greeted Louis as soon as he opened the door to his apartment. He wasn’t surprised to find Bebe and Steve sitting on the one and only crappy couch, cheesy pizza in hand, as they watched some shitty show using Louis’ laptop. It was on its last legs. He was trying to save money for a new one that he could bring to classes and use for when he was studying at the library.

“Hey,” Steve greeted him, as soon as Louis closed the door behind him. 

“Thank for waiting for me, guys, I really appreciate it.” 

“Shut up!” Bebe said throwing a used paper towel towards Louis’ direction, although it never reached him, falling pathetically onto the carpet. “Got you your favorite double pepperoni pizza.” 

“Thanks.” Louis dropped his bag, before he collapsed on the floor slowly, face down, feeling defeated by the long day he had and still thinking of his encounter with Harry. 

The more he thought about it, the more he regretted agreeing to meet him in the morning. There’s no way this would end well. There were two possibilities. Harry either did know who Louis was and everything was an elaborate plan to humiliate him once again or he had no idea who Louis was, he didn’t remember anything from their high school days and he was genuinely trying to get into Louis’ pants. Both options made Louis see red.

“What’s up your butt?” Bebe asked. 

Louis felt someone lay down next to him. He didn’t raise his head to see who it was. “I’m in a mood, sorry.” 

“Long day?” Bebe asked.

“Shitty day.” 

“Talk to momma, tell me about it.” 

“Do you guys know Harry Styles?” 

“We already told you we do,” Steve said through a mouthful of food. “Why, what happened? Did he harass you again?” 

“Harass?” Bebe asked sounding furious already. 

“No!” Louis interrupted them and finally raised himself using his elbows to hold his weight. “He was… kind, which I didn’t expect at all. But he did ask me out.” 

Bebe and Steve looked at each other for a moment, obviously not letting Louis in on the unspoken conversation. Fuck ’em. And fuck Styles. 

Bebe shot him a concerned glance, speaking her next words slowly. “What did you say?”

Maybe he should have thought about this more. He had been raging about how much he hated Harry and had proceeded on insulting his frat and all fraternities around campus and now he was about to tell them he agreed on a date with the college’s star athlete. Pathetic. Louis was pathetic. 

“I kinda accepted.” 

“What the fuck?” Bebe screeched, while Steve laughed, pieces of pizza flying from his mouth. Charming. “Louis, why?” 

“Because…” There was no way out, he had to explain himself, otherwise they’d think he’d gone mad. “Look,” he got up from his position, sitting on his ass and stretching his limbs above his head, “Styles and I have history, we go way back.” 

“Are you kidding me?” Bebe gaped at him. Steve’s reaction was calmer, yet he still looked taken aback. “You haven’t told us anything.” 

“I didn’t know what to tell you, it’s embarrassing.” 

“I wanna know everything.” Bebe stretched her legs in front of her, resting her weight on the couch behind her and she made grabby hands for a slice of pizza, which Steve handed to her. 

“It’s a stupid, boring story.” 

“It obviously isn’t, fuck off and spill the beans.” 

Louis rolled his eyes and sighed. “We went to high school together. He’s younger than me, but we still found ourselves around each other here and there. He was one of the cool kids, star athlete since he was a kid, and like… yeah… whatever… I—,” Louis took a deep breath. It didn’t make sense for him to still be hurt over something that happened years ago. But he still felt fucking embarrassed and humiliated. “I had a huge crush on him. Like… embarrassingly huge. I thought he felt the same. We hung out a bit here and there, but he was just playing with me.” 

“What happened?” Bebe asked, eyes wide and unblinking as if his teenage heartbreak was the most interesting thing she'd ever heard.

“After my graduation, I asked him out and he said yes, as long as we kept it a secret. Neither of us were really out, so I agreed. He never fucking came to our date. He never replied to my calls or texts and a few months later, I left to come here.” 

“Fuck,” Steve said. “So why did you agree to go out with him? Did he apologize?” 

“He—” The more information he revealed, the more embarrassed Louis felt. He scratched his neck, playing with the little hairs in the back. “He doesn’t remember who I am. He introduced himself and all.” 

“Lou, why would you go out with him?” Bebe asked, her expression changing from dreamy back to furious. 

“Because… this is my chance to get back at him. Eighteen-year-old me was humiliated, waiting at the park for Styles to arrive, and I kept waiting long after I realized he wasn’t coming. It really fucked with my head. Made me believe I wasn’t worth— Whatever. Anyway, it’s my chance for revenge.” 

“What kind of revenge?” Steve asked. “Lou, don’t do anything stupid. Just cancel the date.” 

“I don’t have his number.” As if Louis hadn’t considered the option the moment he walked away from Harry. 

“Good,” Bebe said. “You’ll stand him up, like he did to you, see if he likes it better. That’s your plan, isn’t it?” 

Louis wanted to say yes, but something inside him told him that it wouldn’t be enough. Harry seemed like the kind of guy that had everyone falling at his feet, so he would probably not be too bothered. Louis wanted to make him feel as humiliated as he had felt, just eighteen years old and finally getting the courage to ask a boy out for the first time. Fuck, he hated Harry Styles so much. 

“Actually…” Louis trailed off, trying to find the proper words to explain his intentions without sounding crazy. “I think I’ll go to that date. Just to give him hope, make him think he stands a chance, and then just disappear. Like he did to me.” 

Steve groaned while Bebe rolled her eyes. “You don’t really have to do this, Lou,” Steve said. “That’s so immature and out of character for you. You should just ignore him.” 

“I agree with Steve,” Bebe nodded. “This can only end badly. And I’m afraid it will end badly for you.” 

“Why?” 

“Because, Lou, you’re the kind of guy who gets attached.” 

“I’m not! I have plenty one-night-stands.” 

“That’s different.” 

“Different how?” 

Bebe sighed and she got up from her position on the floor. “You don’t go on dates with your one-night-stands, and you certainly don’t have a history with any of them.” 

“She has a point,” Steve agreed. 

Why did they always team up against Louis? Why were they even against him? The idea of Louis getting attached to Harry was ridiculous. 

“There’s no way I would ever fall for someone like Styles. Been there, done that, and it sucked balls and not in the good way. So no.” 

“But-” 

Louis raised his hand to stop Bebe from continuing. “I need a shower and my  _ cold  _ pizza, and then ten hours of sleep. I’m not discussing this anymore.” 

“You’re an ass,” Bebe yelled at him, throwing her head back and laughing when he got up to walk away. “A major ass.” 

“I know!” Louis yelled back, blowing her a kiss. 

He went to bed that night with a very simple, clear plan. Make Harry fall for him and then disappear. Easy. Falling for Harry, what a joke. 


	3. Chapter 3

Louis certainly didn’t put much thought into his clothes. A pair of ripped, white-washed jeans, a comfy, dark beige sweater and his favorite Vans wasn’t much of an effort. And just because he spent forty minutes making sure his hair looked nice didn’t mean he actually cared. Bebe was so wrong. He just had to seduce Harry, drive him crazy, and dump him.

He was already late when he left his apartment, so he wasn’t sure if Harry would be waiting for him thirty minutes later, but maybe that would be for the best. Louis was so confused. Part of him wanted to go through with his plan, part of him wanted to just drop the whole thing. Yes, Harry was an asshole and he deserved to get knocked down a notch or two, but at the same time, Louis wasn’t sure he was worth the effort. 

It was too late to back down now that he was already inside the cafe, which was packed with students grabbing a quick cup of coffee before class. He stood two steps inside from the door and scanned the place for a sight of Harry. He spotted him sitting at a table next to the window, cup of coffee already in front of him, staring outside expectantly. 

He announced his arrival with a rushed “hey” and plopped down into the chair across from Harry which made Harry snap his head towards him and give him a wide smile, all dimples and charm.  _ Ugh _ . 

“Hey, Lou, how are you?” 

Louis returned the smile, though it was a little more reserved, and reached for Harry’s cup, taking a sip without asking. Bitter coffee poisoned his taste buds and he almost spit it all over the table. “How the fuck do you drink that?” 

“I’m not allowed to eat sugar at the moment, I’m on a diet.” Louis furrowed his eyebrows, because the person in front of him certainly didn’t need to lose any more weight. Or change his body at all. “Coach's orders,” Harry explained with a little shrug. “But hey, you can have anything you want, what should I get you?” 

“I didn’t know you worked as a waiter in your free time,” Louis teased him, using just the right amount of playfulness in his voice. He knew what he was doing, and this time he had the control of the situation.  

“It’s, um… One of us has to go wait in line… I—and I thought I should do that, since I—well, I asked you out, so I should get your coffee.” 

Louis locked eyes with Harry. They were as lovely as he remembered. Lovely and dangerous, they captivated his victims and then deprived them of the sight of their green. This time Louis was determined to not get lost. He’d reverse the game and have Harry get lost in his. 

“You’re mumbling,” Louis whispered, wanting all of Harry’s attention on him. 

“I’m nervous,” Harry admitted with a sharp intake of breath that he let out slowly, without averting his eyes from Louis’ face. “You make me nervous.” 

“Oh, come on, dude, as if little old me could ever make Harry Styles nervous. I’m perfectly average looking.” Louis fluttered his eyelashes and Harry blinked a couple of times, shaking his head. 

“First of all, you’re gorgeous. And it’s not just that… You’re smart and you have a sharp tongue, you’re hard to ignore, Lou.” 

Louis didn’t break eye-contact as he leaned closer, and rested his forearms on the table, noticing that Harry mimicked his movement. “I want a latte,” Louis said softly. “A caramel latte with some cinnamon on top.” Harry nodded but didn’t make a move to get up. “Please?” Louis added. 

“Um… yeah.” Harry got up and took two steps away, before he returned and leaned in front of louis. “Caramel latte, cinnamon on top, right?” 

“Styles is smart, who knew?” 

Harry snorted and walked away again. While Harry waited in line, Louis pulled his phone out of his pocket. He checked the messages in his study group chat , then quickly sent a text to Bebe.

 

**L: He didn't stand me up. Moving forward with the plan.**

**B: Plan?**

**L: Revenge!!! For breaking my teenage heart.**

**B: Sure.**

**B: You just want his dick.**

**L: I DO NOT. I want him to feel like I felt when he didn't show for our date.**

**B: Then leave now.**

**L: It's not the same. I have to make him love me first.**

**B: That makes no sense.**

**L: It does. Shut up!!!**

**B: Whatever. Enjoy your date with the hot jock.**

**L: It's not a real date. I hate you.**

**B: I hate you too. xx Have fun!**

 

Louis stared at his phone, trying to decide how to respond, because this clearly was not a real date. He had just started typing his answer, when Harry returned. 

“Here’s your coffee, Lou!” Louis jumped at Harry’s words and slipped his phone into his pocket. He stood up and grabbed the cup from Harry’s hand.. “Wait, where are you going?” Harry asked, eyebrows furrowed. 

“We,” Louis used his free hand to take Harry’s and pull him towards the exit, “are going for a walk and then you’re coming with me to buy new jeans.” 

“I have jeans, I don’t want new ones!” Harry protested, but he followed Louis eagerly anyway, intertwining their fingers and pulling him back to walk by his side. His palm was warm against Louis’ and Harry’s long fingers engulfed his hand. It didn’t feel good. No, it didn’t. 

Louis rolled his eyes and took a sip of his coffee. The tooth-achingly sweet liquid burned his tongue and warmed his whole body as he swallowed half of it in three gulps. Louis shouldn’t have been so surprised when he turned his head to find Harry staring at him. 

“The jeans are for me, Styles. I need a new pair. Unless you’re bored or you have other plans.” 

“Bored?” Harry huffed. “No, and I don’t have plans. I love shopping. Did you have something specific in mind or can I take you to this place I know? It’s a second-hand, but they have new stuff too. And I’ve seen a lot of skaters going there and I think that’s your vibe? I mean, whenever I see you around campus you’re in torn jeans and these huge hoodies, and they have a lot of stuff like that. Anyway, they have jorts and I think you’d look cute in those.” 

“What the fuck are you on about, Styles? What the fuck are jorts?” 

“They are jean shorts. Jorts. How old are you?” 

“I’m twenty-two and I— Why would I wear jorts?” 

Harry shrugged one shoulder smirking. Louis would bet his ass he was showing off that dimple on purpose, that asshole. “I just think you’d look cute in a pair of jorts, Lou.” 

Louis shook his head, he was a minute away from a headache. Maybe Bebe and Steve were right and he should have just stood him up. It was probably too late to leave now. 

“Where is that place?” he asked, sighing in defeat. 

Harry smiled widely and started walking again, dragging Louis behind him. “It’s not far from here, we can catch the bus. Come on!” 

“Okay, okay,” Louis tried to balance the cup of the still hot coffee in one arm, as he ran behind an overexcited Styles. “But no jorts or shit like that. I just need a pair of regular, black skinnies.” 

“Yeah, we’ll see.” 

 

~*~

 

“Just try them on, Lou. For me!” Harry begged, holding a pair of shorts in the typical denim color and that would probably reach just to Louis’ knees That is, if he tried them on. Which he wouldn’t. They looked ridiculous. “They suit your style, trust me, I’m a fashion guru.” 

“Jai guru Styles om, but no.” 

Harry squinted his eyes and pressed his lips in a thin line. “What did you just say?” 

“It’s from a Beatles song. It means— You called yourself a guru and— Whatever. Fuck it. I’m not wearing those.” 

Louis turned his back to Harry and kept browsing through the jeans in front of him. He didn’t want to admit it, but Harry was right. This place was amazing and Louis would gladly wear every single thing here, apart from those damn jorts. He had no idea how he had missed this hidden heaven full of treasures, being in this city for a little more than three years. 

“Lou, look what I found,” Harry said standing right behind him. Louis sighed and turned around, almost colliding with Harry, who was standing way closer than Louis thought. He was wearing a hot pink hat, bigger than his whole head, and his eyes were covered by a softer pink veil. There was a feather on top, bright red and so long that it flopped around whenever Harry moved his head. 

Louis blinked slowly, trying way too hard to not let himself be amused by this boy’s silliness. “What?” Louis acted like he hadn’t noticed the extravagant hat. 

“Do you like it?” 

“Like what?” 

Harry pouted and slumped his shoulders. “Lou,” he whined. 

“I don’t see anything?” 

“Alright, then. Since you didn’t notice my amazing hat, I’ll buy it and walk around campus with it on, whenever I’m with you.” 

Louis bit the inside of his cheek, suppressing a smile. “Who said we’ll hang out again?” 

“We will,” Harry said using his hand to push away the veil from his eyes and staring right into Louis’. 

Those eyes that hadn’t changed one bit. Those eyes that had made Louis stay awake until two o’clock in the morning, telling his mum about the cute boy at school, who played football and had cute curly hair and a cuter smile. Those eyes that had made him cry whenever Louis thought of them, after Harry stood him up and refused to answer his texts and calls. Those eyes that were looking at him like he was someone worth being with. But Louis knew that Harry really only thought of him as someone to play with. Louis was nothing to Harry but another heart to break. Again. Louis couldn’t let him get away with it. 

“I don’t know. I’m pretty busy. Not a lot of time to hang out with football stars.”

“You’re trying too hard not to let yourself go and, fuck, Louis, just let yourself enjoy this. I know you probably hate people like me—” 

“People like you?” 

“I mean, I know you probably think of me as Mr. Frat Boy, the Super Athlete.” 

Louis shook his head. “You’re wrong,  _ Super  _ Athlete. I’ve hung out with plenty of frat guys and athletes, too. I’ve even hooked up with some of them. I don’t have a problem with frat boys, even if you’re all so loud and obnoxious and annoying the whole campus wherever you go.” 

Harry chortled and let the veil fall back in front of his face. The pink complimented his pale skin nicely and it matched his lips. They looked soft, pursed into a pout that Louis wanted to wipe off Harry’s face. 

“You like me and you don’t know what to do about it,” Harry said with annoying arrogance. Louis preferred him when he was nervous, it was much easier to handle him. 

“You are so, so wrong.” 

Louis turned his back to Harry again and went back to look through the jeans. He was trying to decide whether he was willing to wear a pair of jeans with a hole on the thigh, when he felt something wrapping around his torso. He looked down to see a rainbow boa, before he was being pulled backwards. 

“What the fuck?” 

“Come on, you’re trying the jorts on.” 

“No, I’m not!” Louis tried to get away from Harry, but he tangled himself with the boa, making things even worse. 

“Come on, Lou, if they don’t look good I’ll let you pick anything from this store for me to wear.” 

Louis stopped struggling to untangle himself. That was an interesting thought, since Louis was certain he wouldn’t like those jorts or whatever they were called. “Alright!” he gave in. “Let’s see what all the fuss is about. Give me the shorts.” 

“Jorts,” Harry corrected him and gently wrapped the boa around Louis’ neck. “Follow me, rainbow boy.” 

“Lead the way, Curly.” 

Harry pulled Louis inside a changing room, pushing the denim shorts in his hands. He stood there, staring at Louis. It was scary that this man standing in front of Louis, silly pink hat and all, was the same sixteen-year-old boy that had Louis laying awake at night, dreaming of cute dates and a romance fantasy that never came. He looked so different now. He was all sharp angles, strong jaw and deep dimples. Smart eyes and teasing smirk. 

“I had a friend that used to call me curly,” Harry breathed against Louis’ face, smelling like bitter coffee and the mint gum he had been chewing all day. 

“Yeah?” Louis asked, trying to find his breath. He shouldn’t feel his insides twisting when Harry’s intense eyes focused on his, before they dropped on his lips. He shouldn’t be feeling hot and cold at the same time. He shouldn’t be leaning towards Harry. “What happened to them?” 

“I don’t know. He left and never came back. I doubt he remembers my name anymore,” Harry smiled fondly. “But it’s alright. Now I have a new friend calling me curly.” 

Louis tried to hold back his bitterness about the irony of being the old and new “friend” at the same time and how oblivious Harry was to everything. How arrogant and selfish could a man actually be? “Get out,” Louis said, ruining the vibe that Harry was trying to create between them. 

“Uh, yeah, okay.” Reaching for the curtain behind him, Harry opened it and stepped out of the changing room, leaving Louis annoyed and confused.

  
~*~

 

Louis got home a lot later than he had planned. He dropped his keys into the bowl by the door and looked down at the shopping bag in his hand. He couldn’t believe he bought those damn jorts, but they looked good on him. Harry had made fun of him all the way from the store to the restaurant where they ate lunch and didn’t stop until they stood in front of Louis’ building. 

“Steve, I’m home,” Louis yelled, not really knowing if anyone was there. 

“Steve’s not here.” Bebe emerged from the bathroom, tying her hair up in a ponytail. Her eyes fell on the bag in Louis’ hand. “You went shopping?” 

“Needed new jeans.” 

“You went by yourself?” 

Louis ignored the question in favor of checking his phone. The most recent message was from Harry.. Of course. 

 

**H: Got home safe? X**

 

Louis sighed, already regretting the fact that he let Harry coax his phone number out of him. He was giving in too easily to Harry’s wants and wishes. It was hard to balance the line between keeping his distance and convincing Harry that he truly liked him. But maybe he already had Harry wrapped around his finger. Nah. Just because Harry texted him, it didn’t mean he was falling for him. He just wanted to get in Louis’ pants. Louis just needed to try harder to make Harry think he was getting what he wanted.

 

**L: No, a giant lizard attacked me as I climbed up the stairs. Save me.**

 

He put his phone back in his pocket and headed towards the kitchen. 

“So?” Bebe asked following him. 

“So what?” 

“What happened?” 

Louis opened the fridge, which was pathetically empty as always. He really had to get better at adulting. Both he and Steve were doing a horrible job at it. At least Steve remembered to buy toilet paper and milk every now and then. Louis was a mess. He grabbed the last beer and closed the fridge.  When he turned around, Bebe was standing right behind him, her arms crossed in front of her chest and obviously waiting to hear the gossip. 

“Don’t you have a dorm room on campus?” 

“My roommate’s girlfriend is coming over, so I can’t go there.” 

“Wanna go to the movies?” Louis suggested, willing to sacrifice his evening of studying, if it meant that he wouldn’t have to talk about his date with Harry. 

“No, I want you to tell me what happened.” Louis rolled his eyes and moved passed her to get to the living room. “Lou, I’m kinda worried about you. Look, you said this guy is an asshole, so why even bother?” 

“Because! He needs to learn a lesson.” 

“That’s dumb. Your plan is dumb and you’re the one who’ll end up hurt. And this whole thing is so unlike you. Getting revenge for something that happened a million and ten years ago. Who cares? Just drop it, Lou.” 

Louis ignored her rant, because it made perfect sense and made him uncomfortable. He knew he was being petty and that he was better than this.. There were moments today while they were hanging out that Louis regretted cooking up this plan. But then he would remember Harry’s dumb face when he introduced himself like they’d never seen each other before. He could try to erase their past, but he couldn’t erase the rejection Louis had felt. Harry had been his first crush. And he’d ruined everything by being an asshole. 

He took his phone out of his pocket, not really surprised he had six more messages from Harry, and dropped down onto the couch. 

 

**H: Got back safe.**

**H: Glad you bought the jorts.**

**H: Look good on you.**

**H: You have a cute ass.**

**H: Miss you. Xx**

**H: Did the lizard actually attack you?**

 

Louis sighed. He didn’t know if he should reply or just let it go. His plan was going so well, Harry seemed to be interested and it wasn’t actually a hardship being around him. Louis had expected him to be different. Louder, more arrogant, narcissistic. But Harry was… normal. He talked about his mom and sister, he talked about his best friend Niall, who he’d known since childhood, and his friend Liam, who was the only one of his fraternity brothers he’d formed a real friendship with so far. 

And he listened. He listened to Louis talk about his family, about his major, about his dreams, about the fact that he wasn’t sure if he was made for the music industry or he should stick to teaching. Harry listened and Louis talked like the man walking next to him wasn’t someone he despised, but an actual date, even someone he could trust. 

 

**L: The jorts are hideous and I’m taking them back.**

 

Louis was determined to not let Harry have any control over him, whether it was about buying those stupid jorts or about opening his heart to him. He couldn’t allow himself to fall for Harry’s act and most importantly he couldn’t allow himself to prove Bebe right and fuck this whole plan up. 

 

**H: Keep them forever**

**H: Want to see you tomorrow**

**H: If you want.**

**H: Wear the jorts.**

**H: Please and thanks. x**

 

“Lou, can we at least discuss this?” Bebe asked, sitting next to him on the couch. “I don’t want to be a pain in the ass, you’re a big boy, but are you sure there’s not another reason you’re doing this?” 

“Like what?” 

“I don’t know exactly. Maybe you like him? Miss him? You went on an actual date with the guy. You went shopping. Sounds like you had fun with him. Would it be so bad to give him a chance to make it up to you?” 

Louis shook his head. “I can’t.” 

The problem was that part of what Bebe said was true. He did have fun with Harry whenever he let himself go and didn’t focus on their history. If the circumstances were different, chances were he would probably date Harry. And even if Louis wanted to give him a chance, he couldn’t. Harry couldn’t make it up to him when he didn’t even remember who Louis was. 

Louis typed his answer to Harry quickly.. 

 

**L: See you tomorrow. No promises about the jorts**

 

He turned his ringer off and sighed. Might as well get some studying done.


	4. Chapter 4

The jorts were ridiculously comfortable, but Louis still felt strange wearing them. He paired them with one of his favorite hoodies, a college one that his mum had bought to him as a gift the moment he was accepted to the music program, his Vans and socks that reached to the mid of his calves. He felt like everyone was staring at him as he walked up to the front door of the ΣΑΘ fraternity.

It wasn’t his first time at this frat house, but all his memories from his previous visits were clouded by the booze and the dark lights. The large house actually looked really nice in the daylight, he’d only ever seen it at night with the yard full of students and discarded Solo cups. Louis wondered how many people lived there. He knew that the whole football team did, but he had no idea how many players were even on the team. 

Louis texted Harry to come to the door to get him, because he didn’t want to ring the bell and have the attention of the whole house fall on him. He waited on the porch, looking out over the front yard, wondering if maybe it was wiser to use this opportunity to end whatever this was between them. It was just a single date so far, and he knew that Harry probably wouldn’t care at all. Maybe he should do it for his own sake. Maybe he could just avoid Harry. Then he could try to convince himself that Harry was heartbroken, spending his days and nights thinking of him. And finally, Louis could move on with his life, every chapter of the past closed and forgotten. 

“Hey,” came a soft voice from behind him, making him jump before he turned around to find a sleepy and very much half-naked Harry standing in front of him, one hand on the door handle and one scratching his belly. “You look good in them,” he smirked, staring at Louis’ legs. “You’re welcome, by the way.” 

“Shut up.” Louis said, trying to hide his smile and walking inside the house. He had to force himself to not stare at Harry’s new, toned body. He would be a liar if he didn’t admit that Harry looked good and his self-confidence looked amazing on him. Yes, sometimes it reached the point of arrogance, but damn that boy was hot. No wonder he was so popular among the student body. Louis hadn’t heard any stories of Harry sleeping around, when he’d asked around a bit. Though from the reports he’d gotten from Bebe and Steve, there were many people hoping to get in his bed. 

Inside the foyer, Harry grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the kitchen. “Come on, Liam wants to meet you.” 

“Who?” Louis asked, freeing his hand from Harry’s grip and stopping in his tracks. He didn’t want to see or interact with any of Harry’s friends. He didn’t even know if he wanted to be there. Part of him wanted to end it and go, part of him wanted to go through with his plan, and part of him actually wanted to spend some time with Harry. But that last part had to be killed and buried in the depths of his mind immediately. 

“Liam. He’s one of my best friends.” Harry took his hand again, much more gently this time and he led him down the hall. 

They entered the kitchen, which was surprisingly clean and tidy. If Louis was honest, he had always thought of fraternities and sororities in a stereotypical way and, other than the parties, he was never a huge fan. Unfortunately, there was more than one man sitting at the kitchen island, having a very late breakfast. Louis was nervous, but Harry dragged him further into the room, and grabbed a granola bar from the counter. 

“I have a guest, so be decent.This is Louis.” Harry turned to wink at Louis, his mouth curved into a smile, before he addressed the group, pointing at each of them in turn. “ Lou, these are my teammates: Jack, Pete, Bacon, and Liam.” 

Louis waved at them, leaning towards Harry to whisper in his ear. “Are you shitting me? Is his real name Bacon?” 

“It’s a nickname,” Bacon said, and Louis felt himself start to blush. He was always louder than he thought he was.. 

“His real name is Christopher, but one time he ate two pounds of bacon in five minutes , so now everyone calls him Bacon,” Harry split the granola bar he was holding in two and offered a piece to Louis. “Want some?” 

“No, I already ate, thanks,” he murmured. Louis was never usually shy, but he would be a liar if he didn’t admit he was a little overwhelmed.  

“We’re all very happy to meet you,” one of the boys said, getting up to properly greet Louis, after wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “I’m Liam.” 

“Hey, nice to meet you, too. Harry talked quite a bit about you yesterday. It’s nice to have a face for the name,” Louis shook hands with Liam, whose warm smile made him feel at ease. 

“If you think he talked a lot about me, you don’t want to know what he was like when he came back from your date.” Liam and the rest of the group snickered like schoolboys. Louis felt himself blushing under the attention, but at the same time he couldn’t help but join them. 

“Shut up!” Harry whined. “You’re all assholes and I hate you,” he said, biting down a smile and looking away. “Come on, Lou, let’s go upstairs.” 

A long string of  _ oh’s _ and whistles came from the small crowd of boys. Harry rolled his eyes and grabbed Louis’ hand, twirled him once, and led him out the kitchen and up the stairs. 

“Just to be clear,” Louis said, walking up the stairs behind Harry “This is not a date.” 

“It so is.” 

“It’s a lame date then.” Louis’ voice was loud in the empty hallway.

“Shush.You’re very noisy.” 

“You have no idea,” Louis wiggled his eyebrows at Harry, as he stood in front of what Louis assumed was his door. 

Harry opened the door and turned around, striking a ridiculous pose with his arms spread. “You make me think you only want me for my body.” 

Louis slapped Harry’s exposed belly and Harry grabbed his hand, giggling, and pulled Louis inside his room. It wasn’t as spacious as Louis expected it to be, judging by the rest of the house, but Harry was only a sophomore and a new addition to the team and the fraternity. 

However, Louis found Harry’s room to be that of a typical student, not much different than his, albeit a lot tidier and more colorful. The only furniture was a dresser, a wooden desk and chair, and a queen size bed, with bedding in the tones of grey and red. A rainbow flag hung on the beige wall above the bed, while several posters were tacked onto the other walls, and photographs covered the bulletin board above the desk. Overall, it was a room that made Louis feel at ease as soon as he walked in. 

“Welcome to my humble abode,” Harry said, closing the door behind him. 

Louis made his way towards the chair and plopped down, stretching his legs in front of him and spinning in Harry’s direction. “I like it,” he said, focusing on the flag on the wall. The feeling of warmth whenever he came across the colours of the rainbow would never get old. The fact that Harry had the flag gracing the biggest part of the wall made him feel a little extra proud. Yes, he was an asshole and all, but Louis still couldn’t stop himself from smiling, turning his head to hide his face. 

“I was thinking we could watch a movie or something, I have a secret stash of snacks, which I can’t touch, but you’re free to eat whatever you want. What do you think?” 

“Seems to me you have the whole day planned,” Louis said. 

Harry nodded sitting on the bed across from Louis. “We can do whatever you want, Lou. We can go for a walk or go out for lunch later. I just thought it would be nice to have a day in.” 

Louis shrugged one shoulder and spun the chair once, rolling it closer to the bed. “I don’t mind a relaxed day in. ‘M in a mood for stupid horror movies.” 

“Ugh,” Harry groaned. “No, Louis, why?” 

“Wait, you don’t like cliché plotlines and over the top acting? Come on, Styles, you’re disappointing me.” 

“I don’t like blood and violence.” 

Louis stared at him for a moment. “You’re a football player, you’ve probably had a concussion at least once.” 

“Twice, but that’s not the same thing. That’s the nature of the sport, but I don’t like violence in real life outside the stadium.” 

“You know that movies aren’t real, Styles, right?” Louis teased him, kicking Harry’s shin softly. 

Harry rolled his eyes, groaned “shut up” softly, and kicked Louis back.

Louis got up from his seat and joined Harry on the bed, keeping a small distance between them. He wasn’t sure where this was going. Part of him wanted to end whatever this was, and forget his revenge plans. Part of him wanted to lay in bed next to Harry, absorb his warmth and just enjoy the excitement of a completely new adventure. He hated that after everything that had happened, that part of him still existed. That was why he should get on with his plan. He had to close that chapter of his life. And maybe fuck it out of his system in the process. 

“Well, we’ll watch my favorite movies, you need to be educated about what’s really good cinema.” 

“Dumb horror movies are good cinema?” Harry raised his eyebrows, his expression bordering on amused. 

“But of course! Come on, bring me those snacks and we’ll get to work.” 

“What kind of snacks do you want? I have Haribos,” Harry talked as he got up from the bed and knelt down to drag a box hidden underneath the bed. Louis gaped at the small heaven of treats, ready to dig in. “I have sour gummy worms, salt and vinegar chips, and some chocolate bars :  Snickers, Milky Way, Hershey’s...” 

“I want gummy worms and Snickers, thank you,” Louis smiled at Harry, making grabby hands for the box. 

“I hate you a little bit since you’re able to eat whatever you want, while I’m not even allowed to smell those,” Harry passed the chocolate bar to Louis, who unwrapped it and took a big bite, some caramel falling on his chin. 

“Mhm, mhm, mhm,” Louis moaned, munching as he watched Harry’s eyes turn from teasing to intense. “You can have a bite, just one tiny bit, no one will know. I’ll keep your secret safe.” 

Harry put the rest of the candy on the bed next to Louis, pushed the box to the side, and crawled closer to him. 

“Maybe just a little bit,” Louis shook the chocolate bar in front of Harry’s face, who bit his bottom lip, his eyes never leaving Louis’. Louis took another bite and he closed his eyes, making a show of enjoying it and letting out a soft moan.  

“Lou,” Harry whispered. Louis opened his eyes to find him kneeling right in front of him, his gaze flitting between Louis’ eyes and his lips. Louis should have known. Deep inside him, he probably did. But that didn’t stop him from taking a deep breath and leaning closer. He blamed the Styles charm. It was his fault. 

“You can have the rest,” Louis breathed out. 

Harry pushed Louis’ hand on the side, eliminating the distance, until their foreheads were almost touching. Harry smelt of coffee and the granola bar he ate earlier, but what made Louis’ stomach clench was the faint scent of Harry’s aftershave. He would be a liar if he denied how much he liked the musk scent of boys’ cologne and aftershave. It was quite common, yet very unique on Harry’s skin, mixing with his natural scent. The fact that he was still shirtless and his hair was a mess of curls didn’t help Louis think clearly. 

“Can I?” Harry asked softly, nudging Louis’ nose with his. 

Louis didn’t realize he was licking his lips or that his hands were reaching to rest on Harry’s chest, or that he gave Harry an affirmative nod. He only registered what was happening when Harry’s lips touched his, soft against his chapped ones, moving slowly but not pushing for more. Louis’ mind was blank, all he could think about was the way their mouths moved against each other and how Harry’s skin felt under his palms. 

Harry leaned back and stared at Louis, biting his bottom lip cutely and blushing. Louis wanted to be the one biting his lip. He wanted to suck on it and taste it again. He wanted more. More than Harry had asked from him. Harry tried to suppress a giggle as he reached for Louis again, pecking him one, two, three times, before he deepened the kiss. And Louis just let him, he let him wrap his arms around Louis’ waist and pull him close, he let him steal his breath and make his heart pound inside his chest. He let him break his cold exterior, the walls he had built to keep himself from getting carried away. 

Louis pulled back, Harry chased his mouth, ending up kissing his cheek and chin tenderly. And it was these soft first kisses in the morning, while ignoring the noises coming from the rest of the house, staring at each other’s eyes, that made Louis question every single thing he thought he was so sure about. 

“Fuck,” he whispered against Harry’s lips, before he kissed him again. 

He should hate the smile on Harry’s face as Louis pushed him against the mattress and climbed on top of him. 

  
~*~

 

The sound of Romeo + Juliet served as background noise while they moved against each other, lips locked and tongues tasting. Louis was under Harry’s heavy body, the weight grounding him and making him feel like nothing mattered apart from that. The teenager somewhere in the back of Louis’ mind was jumping up and down, unable to believe he was in Harry Styles’ bed, making out with him. They had spent little time apart since they kissed, they’d separated for a few minutes only so Louis could run down the hall to the bathroom, mainly because he had to pee, but also because he needed to splash some cool water on his face to calm down. 

He stood in front the mirror, observing his messy fringe, hair sticking out everywhere, and his flushed cheeks. “What the fuck are you doing?” he criticized his reflection. “This is Styles we’re talking about, dude. You can’t be turned on by Styles.” But Louis not only was already hard and trying to tame his erection and not make it obvious how much he wanted Harry, but he felt himself getting lost while he was in Harry’s arms. The only things that mattered then were Harry’s soft skin, his scent, the way he moved his tongue and rolled his hips against Louis’. He wasn’t supposed to let Harry get under his skin, but Louis was finding himself aching to go back to Harry’s room, lay in his bed and bask in Harry’s body warmth and the way his large hands held him tight. 

Taking a deep breath, Louis made his way back to the room. He found Harry sitting on the bed with his legs crossed in front of him, staring at his phone. As soon as Louis walked in, Harry raised his head to look at him, dropping the phone and picking up the remote control. 

“Come on, let’s finish the movie.” 

Louis smirked and walked towards the bed slowly. “We haven’t even watched a minute of that movie, but sure, let’s finish it.” 

“Oh, shut up,” Harry said playfully, reaching for Louis. “Cuddle time.” 

“You’re such a mushy mush,” Louis teased him, but he didn’t resist him when he pulled him to sit between his legs. “Not that I don’t love DiCaprio as Romeo, but we were busy.” 

Harry chuckled, wrapping his arms around Louis’ waist and pulling him closer. “You horny little shit, just watch them die.” 

“Romantic.” 

Harry rested his head on Louis’ shoulder, his face right next to Louis, almost touching and making Louis feel like he was on fire. Louis wanted to jump out the window and run away. 

“You know why I prefer this movie?” Harry whispered, like he was afraid that if he spoke louder he would ruin the soft moment, break the spell he, himself, had cast upon the two of them. 

“Why?” Louis mimicked his tone. 

“Juliet wakes up and sees Romeo the moment he dies, and not when he’s already dead. There’s something more tragic about it, the fact that she watched him dying but couldn’t do anything about it. There was nothing she could do to save him.” 

“Do you want me to cry?” Louis said turning his head slightly to look at Harry. “Why do you want to ruin the mood?” 

Harry smiled softly and pecked Louis’ cheek. “What mood? There was a mood?” 

“One might call you riding my thigh and almost coming in your pants a mood, but hey, whatever floats your boat.” 

“Are you always so crude?” 

“Just tell me I’m lying and I’ll stop.” 

Harry nosed Louis’ cheek and mouthed his jaw, making Louis feel weak, eager to give in and let Harry do whatever he wanted. “You’re not lying. There was a mood, but to be honest, I don’t think it’s the time.” 

Louis pulled away. “What?” He stood on his knees, turning around to stare at Harry with his mouth open and trying to figure out if Harry was joking. When he invited Louis to his place, Louis knew that the possibility of having sex was high. It was more probable than possible, actually. And no matter how hard he tried to deceive himself or convince himself that he didn’t want it, he’d still expected it to happen. 

“I just — We barely know each other. I don’t want to rush things. I want to get to know you a bit first.” 

“Wait, what? Seriously?” 

“Yeah. I mean, if that’s okay with you, I’d like to take you out on a couple of dates first. I’m — I really like you, Lou.” 

Louis looked around, taking in Harry’s words and what that meant for him and his plan and the way he’d begun to feel around him. His knees went weak and his heart beat faster whenever Harry’s fingers grazed his skin, as soon as he was close enough for Louis to be enveloped by his scent and warmth. 

“You’re so lovely, Louis. I really want to get to know you. And if that leads to something more...” 

Alright, that was unexpected. Louis had been sure that Harry was only in this to hook up. He’d been sure he’d have to work hard to get Harry to care about him. Now Harry was fucking up his plans and Louis didn’t know how to proceed. 

“I hope you understand,” Harry said, dropping his gaze onto his outstretched legs. 

“Hey, of course,” Louis murmured, reaching for him, placing a gentle hand on his face. “We can do whatever you want. I can even go, if you want.” 

Harry snapped his eyes up again, looking at Louis almost pleadingly. “No, please stay. We were having fun, weren’t we?” 

“We were,” Louis reassured him and he truly meant it. “We can watch another movie —   Truly watch it this time.” 

Harry nodded eagerly. “Yes, please. Although, hmm… I wouldn’t mind a repeat of our, um… previous actions.”

“You’re so full of shit, Styles,” Louis laughed at the way Harry bit his lip, then pushed Harry back into the mattress and straddled his thighs. “Just say you want this body,” he said raising his hands above his head. “Say you want me, Styles.” 

“You do have quite the body, Lou.” Harry put his hands on the dip of Louis’ waist, digging his fingers in the soft fabric of his hoodie. Suddenly Louis felt hot all over, wanting to get rid of his clothes. “I can’t wait to get my hands on you.” 

“Well, apparently you can,” Louis shrugged his shoulders and leaned down to kiss Harry’s lips. “But that’s okay,” he murmured against Harry’s lips, enjoying his stunned face, the way his grip became tighter and his muscles stiff. “Don’t worry, Styles. It will be worth the wait, I promise.” He sucked Harry’s bottom lip, using his tongue to play with it, before he pulled away, sending a wink Harry’s way. 

  
~*~

 

“Cadences are a fucking pain in the ass,” Louis groaned and flipped the page of his ridiculously expensive Harmony textbook. Louis sighed and pulled his notebook closer, searching for something he was sure he’d written down when his professor explained the inverted cadences. 

“Well, maybe if you didn’t spend yet another evening at Harry’s frat, you wouldn’t be cramming now.” Bebe looked up from her own notes with a hint of a teasing smile on her face. 

It was true. Louis was spending too much time with Harry. It was messing with his schedule and his academic performance, but mostly it was messing with his head. When he was away from the Styles’ charm, he could perfectly focus on his goal, which was sweet revenge for everything that had happened in the past. But when he was with him, it was hard to ignore his smile, the soft touches and the hard kisses, the sweet words that turned dirty whenever things got heated between them. It was just enough to make Louis needy for more without going all the way. It was driving Louis crazy and he didn’t know how to regain control of the situation and of himself. 

“It was the last evening we could spend together, because the extra practices started. They’re playing some big, dumb game next week and the team has to train extra hard apparently, so I won’t be seeing him for a week.” 

“Aw!” Babe’s smile was annoying as she leaned towards Louis. “You miss your boyfriend.” 

“My boyf — Shut up, he’s not my boyfriend. We’re nothing. It’s part of my plan. I’m still trying to get revenge, just so you know.” 

“You’re still working on that plan?” Bebe shook her head. “I was sure you gave up on that idea when I saw Harry sucking your face in front of your building last Monday.” 

Louis rolled his eyes, feeling all flushed in the memory of their shared kiss, after Harry insisted on walking him home after class. “We’ve kissed a couple of times,” he lied. “It’s not like I can avoid it. I’m trying to seduce him after all.” 

“Oh, I think he’s seduced alright.” Bebe nodded and went back to her notes, picking up her pen, biting it, and fluttering her eyelashes innocently. Louis knew she was dying to gossip. 

“What does that mean?” Louis asked and pulled her pen out of her mouth. 

“Nothing. Come on, loverboy, we’re studying now. You can stop talking and thinking about your boyfriend for more than ten minutes.” 

Louis’s forehead wrinkled and he clenched his jaw, irritated that Bebe kept calling Harry his boyfriend and even more unhappy that she was clearly keeping a secret from him. “It’s so obvious you want to say something. Just go ahead, B.” 

“Alright,” she agreed, sighing in defeat, as if Louis pushed her. The dramatics between the two of them would probably be their fatal flaw one day. “Last week, I was at the café with Rachel before class — ” 

“Hey, how is that going?” Louis asked getting sidetracked by the mention of Bebe’s new girlfriend She’d finally introduced her to Louis and Steve, after dating her for quite some time. 

“Not the time, Lou. Now don’t interrupt me, let me finish. Anyway, I saw Harry, he was there with two friends. I know one of them, Liam. Anyway, they were having coffee and at some point, Harry got up to go order something else and suddenly there’s this girl all over him. Touching his arm, standing way too close, and flirting like there’s no tomorrow.” 

Louis listened carefully, trying to keep his face neutral, even as he felt his cheeks heating and his stomach clench. It was okay if Harry was dating other people. They hadn’t agreed to anything exclusive. Fuck! Louis didn’t even want him or cared about him. He just wanted to seduce him and dump him and make him feel like shit. “Keep going,” he urged Bebe, who was watching Louis closely. “What did you want to tell me?” 

“Well, you jealous little bitch.” So she had noticed. Not that Louis was actually jealous. Just a little bit pissed off that for a moment he thought that the bullshit Harry spewed whenever they were together — how he misses Louis and how he’s  constantly thinking about Louis when they’re apart, how he can barely study or run drills at practice — were just lies. He knew it. This was what he expected from Harry Styles. “Not only did he not spare the girl a glance _ — _ and trust me she was hot _ — _ but  he very loudly and clearly told her he’s kind of in a relationship. Make of that what you will.” 

Louis’ mouth went slack as he processed everything that Bebe had told him. He’d almost have preferred hearing that Harry left the café with the girl than this. Because this was… a lot. Louis had to decide how far to take it. If Harry already considered what was going on between them somewhat serious, maybe it was time to put a stop to it. End it before anyone could get truly hurt. Fuck, this was Louis’ goal when he started this mess, but suddenly he didn’t feel good about the idea of Harry feeling betrayed and hurt and confused, since he didn’t even remember what he had done years ago. 

“I think you’re not on the same page, Lou,” Bebe said, serious now, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Talk to him. End it or whatever, but I think he already has feelings for you. So it’s time to either stop seeing him or date him for real.” 

“Date him?” Louis echoed her words, trying to put his thoughts in order. How could he date Harry? How could he keep going out with him after everything that had happened? It was already too late to come clean and call Harry out for his bullshit, because Louis wasn’t innocent, not after the whole plan he’d weaved.

“Don’t you like him at all?” 

Louis didn’t know how to answer that. Such a complicated answer to such a simple question. Because Louis liked this new Harry. He liked his silly jokes and the way he kissed. He liked how fun and loud he could be, but also reserved and shy under Louis’ intense gaze. He liked how he was unapologetically himself, colorful and smiley. But also there were a lot of things to consider, things that always came back to his mind, whenever he was away from Harry. How was Louis supposed to live with the fact that the start of their relationship was Louis’ elaborate plan to get revenge? 

“Harry,” Bebe said under her breath, shooting a glance towards the library’s main entrance. 

“What?” Louis asked following her gaze. 

There he was, Harry Styles walking into the library, carrying two cups from the campus café in one hand and one in the other. Louis panicked, wishing he could make himself invisible, as he watched Harry looking around before he spotted them and walked towards them with a smile. Harry was the last person Louis wanted to see after his discussion with Bebe. 

“Hey,” Harry greeted in a soft voice, before he pulled a chair to sit next to Louis. “I had some free time before practice and I thought you might need a pick-me-up. I know you have trouble with this class and you said you’d be here.” He turned to Bebe to greet her, famous dimply smile in place, of course. “I’m sorry for interrupting your studying,” he told her. “You must be Bebe, I’m Harry and I brought you a cup of coffee, as well.” 

Louis realized that this was actually the first time Harry was meeting one of his friends and no, no, no. This was getting out of hand. 

“It’s fine,” Bebe said, kicking Louis’ shin under the table. “We probably need a break.” 

Harry widened his smile and turned to look at Louis. “Is it okay that I came?” 

The hell it was. Louis didn’t even know how he felt about it. About him. But he couldn’t be cruel towards him, he couldn’t be the one to make that smile disappear. Fuck, how had he put himself in this situation? 

“It’s fine,” Louis said softly, albeit a little numb. “Thanks for the coffee.” 

“No problem, Lou. It’s sweet, just like you like it. And, Bebe, I didn’t know how you like your coffee so I brought extra sugar for you.” 

“That’s nice. Thanks, Harry.” She kicked Louis again and he was sure he’d go home covered in bruises if Harry stayed any longer, Bebe was out to kill him. 

“Yeah, thanks, Harry,” Louis said and Harry placed a hand on his thigh. Did he really have to be so intimate, did he have to be so… normal? “What time does your practice start?” 

“I should already be in the locker room, but I — ” he looked at Bebe for a moment and then took a breath, leaning closer to Louis. “I’ve kinda missed you,” he admitted. 

Louis opened his mouth, but was unable to find the right thing to say. He couldn’t even admit he’d missed Harry, because he wasn’t supposed to be missing him. He shouldn’t want to see Harry all the time. That wasn’t part of of his plan. 

“I gotta go,” Harry said, standing up again. “I’ll text you later, Lou. Nice to finally meet you, Bebe. Kindof feels like I already know you. Lou always talks about you and Steve, but I already know him, he’s played for my frat.” 

“Nice to meet you, too,” Bebe said, reaching for her cup of coffee. Louis’ cup had his name and a little heart, obviously drawn by Harry. “Thanks for the coffee, by the way. Very thoughtful.” 

“No problem. I’ll text you after practice, Lou.” And then he did the last thing Louis expected him to do. Especially in front of his friend and the rest of the students studying around them. Louis wondered how many of them had noticed that Harry Styles was among them and how many of those people were watching them, trying to appear subtle. He was scared to look. Harry leaned down and placed a chaste kiss right on Louis’ lips, caressing his cheek with his thumb for a moment, before he pulled away. “Good luck with studying.” 

“Thanks,” Bebe said with a cheeky smirk on her face. 

Louis didn’t know what to say, all he could do was gape at Harry, suppressing the urge to reach for him and steal another kiss. He hated how his body shifted, gravitating towards Harry. He hated how his lips felt like they were on fire after they came in contact with Harry’s. He hated how his heart sank inside his chest, when he realized Harry was about to walk away and he probably wouldn’t see him for another week. 

“Good luck with your practice,” Louis managed to stutter, before Harry walked away. 

Harry sent him a wink before he walked out the library with large, ignoring the obvious eyes that stared at him, leaving Louis at a loss of words and confused. It took Bebe nudging his shoulder repeatedly to bring him back to reality. He wasn’t sure he wanted to hear whatever she had to say. Not now. Not yet. 

“He seems nice,” she commented nonchalantly, taking a sip of her coffee. “Ugh, this needs more sugar,” she reached for the packets of sugar that Harry had dropped on the table earlier and emptied one inside her cup, using a plastic spoon to mix it. She took another sip. “Much better.” 

Louis didn’t dare to touch his coffee, certain it was perfect, exactly how he liked it. Harry was just like that, he probably remembered Louis’ order from the few times he’d heard him giving it. 

“He seems really into you, babe,” Bebe added, no trace of sarcasm in her voice. “He — Well, he seems completely gone,” she chuckled. 

“He’s not,” Louis denied. He picked up his book again, blindly searching for his highlighter. He needed to get back to studying, bury his thoughts and emotions. 

“How do you know?” 

“I just do. Enough with the break, back to studying.” 

Bebe sighed, but didn’t argue. Maybe it was Louis’ sharp tone, and Louis felt guilty for shutting down the conversation this way, but he was still taken aback by everything, he needed time to process Bebe’s words and Harry’s actions. 

He just needed time.  


	5. Chapter 5

Louis was sandwiched between Bebe and Steve, sitting in the student section of bleachers, waiting for the halftime to be over. The atmosphere in the stadium is magical, vastly different from Louis’ previous experiences at football games. Louis had never really been a fan of the sport, but even with his limited knowledge he could see that Harry was completely different on the field. Different from the player he’d been in the past and different from the person he was out of his football uniform. Harry Styles, the athlete, was unforgiving, always focused on the ball, but seemingly hyper aware of his surroundings. Louis had watched him save one of his teammate's ass twice already.  

“Your boy is a beast!” Steve said, when the teams ran back onto the field, helmets on and bodies stiff. “I’ve seen him play before, but tonight he’s on fire.”

“Maybe because his boyfriend is watching him for the first time,” Bebe said, moving her eyebrows up and down suggestively.

“Shut up,” Louis murmured, not really in the mood to be teased or banter back.

Louis had received a personal invitation from Harry to attend his football game and then celebrate their “predictably easy win against the Miami Hurricanes.” Louis, of course, had accepted, wanting to see Harry and… He wasn’t sure. The logical part of himself said that he should forget his plan, forget Harry existed, forget their dates and kisses and just move on. End this story once and for all. There was a part of him, however, that spent the previous night rereading all of Harry’s text messages: the concerned ones asking him how his studying was going and if Harry could do anything to help, the cute ones about missing him, the pics Harry had sent after practice, all flushed and sweaty, obviously trying to turn Louis on—the fact that he had succeeded was another story. Seeing him now, running around the field with Liam, Louis realized how much he had missed him.

“I’m talking to him tonight,” Louis said suddenly. “I’m—” he took a deep breath, trying to calm his fast heartbeat down. “I’m going to tell him we can’t see each other anymore.” He wished he didn’t sound so hesitant. He wished he didn’t feel a pang of regret as soon as he uttered his decision out loud.

Steve nodded, putting a hand on his shoulder and pulling him in a half-hug. Bebe didn’t seem so eager to console him. He shot him an incredulous look and shook her head, before she focused back to the game that had just started.

“What?” Louis shouted at Bebe above the noise.

Bebe was clapping alongside the crowd, but that didn’t stop her from shrugging her shoulder. “I think you’re making a mistake,” she yelled back.  

“You’re the one who told me that I had to make a decision.”

“I didn’t expect you to make the wrong one.”

Louis stopped talking, Bebe’s words were a punch in the gut. He was already doubting his decision. His best friend telling him he was doing the wrong thing made him even more uncertain. He shifted his focus back to the game. His eyes found Harry easily as he was taking his position with the rest of the team for the down. He wasn’t able to stop watching him for the rest of the game, which Harry’s team of course won.

  
~*~

 

When Harry had said that they were celebrating the team’s win together, Louis had imagined a frat party, loads of alcohol, loud music and crazy antics. He certainly wasn’t expecting it to be just the two of them, sitting across from each other at the pizza place and sharing a large pepperoni pizza with extra cheese and mushrooms.

“I’m supposed to hate mushrooms, the things I do for you, Lou,” Harry said, taking a large bite of his second slice.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m sure you’re eating them for me, not because you’re starving.” Louis finished his first slice and he reached for the napkin to wipe his hands. “You know you could pick off the mushrooms and give them to me, or we could have ordered mushrooms on half of the pizza. You don’t _have_ to actually eat them.”

“Shut up, I’m enjoying my mushrooms,” Harry moaned around a new bite. Louis couldn’t understand how Harry was still going after such a difficult game, but it seemed like his whole body was vibrating with energy, admittedly picking Louis up, who wasn’t feeling so well.

“You, um… you played well tonight.”

“Didn’t I?” Harry smiled, big and proud, and for once Louis didn’t feel like he wanted to smack it off his face. He deserved to be proud and happy. “I was a mess during practice the whole week, coach almost didn’t let me play.”

“Oh, I didn’t know. You didn’t mention anything.”

“Yeah, I didn’t want to worry you.” Harry lowered his head. “I guess I was distracted.” Louis didn’t ask why, afraid that his name would be the answer.

Everything was going wrong, because everything felt perfectly normal and right. It felt so natural sitting under the shitty fluorescent lamps that made Harry’s face look distorted, yet always lovely. How could he look anything less, with his dimples on display and his eyes bright with anticipation for whatever he had planned for the night. Harry’s foot hooked around Louis’ ankle shouldn’t feel grounding, Louis reaching to touch Harry’s hand on the table shouldn’t feel like second nature. Louis was caught up in all these moments, moments that have happened before, that he had forgotten where this whole thing started. Guilt and shame painted his cheeks red and he had to look away for a moment.  

“Lou, are you okay,” Harry asked worried, getting up from his seat and coming to sit next to Louis, pulling the chair closer. “You look flushed, babe, have some water.”

Louis almost lost it at “babe”. He had fucked up. Big time. This wasn’t a joke anymore and Harry was definitely not the asshole Louis had always believed him to be. He didn’t know why he’d behaved the way he had in the past or why he had forgotten him completely. But maybe Louis was the asshole after all, wasn’t he the one with stupid plan for revenge?

Harry put a glass of water on Louis’ lips, making him drink half of it in one go. “I’m fine,” Louis murmured, pushing Harry’s hand away gently. His other hand was rested on the dip of his waist. Louis felt like he was suffocating, but at the same time he didn’t want Harry to stop touching him, he craved the contact constantly. Fuck, he really had missed Harry. He needed to end this and move on. There was no way he could ever say the truth without humiliating himself and he couldn’t really keep dating Harry, not when everything had started as a game for him.

“I think we—” Louis took a deep breath and raised his head to look at Harry. “I have to tell you something.”

“Sure, babe, go ahead, whatever you want,” Harry said, voice sounding a little more wary than before. He wasn’t dumb, Louis was certain he knew what his words meant, what usually followed these words. “But can I have a moment first?”

“Sure.”

Harry leaned closer, pecking Louis’ cheek softly, before he captured his lips in a kiss. One that started sweet and innocent and turned urgent and heated, when Louis reached for Harry’s yellow sweater, clawing at the soft fabric and pulling him closer. Somehow, for some strange, stupid reason, Louis wasn’t ready to give up on this yet, not when Harry kissed him like nothing else mattered, sitting in a restaurant filled with people who knew who Harry was.

“I’ve missed you,” Harry whispered against Louis’ lips. “I know my schedule is shitty, but I promise I’ll always make time for you, Lou. Please, just let me—” he kissed him again and Louis allowed himself to have this final moment.

“Missed you, too,” Louis heard himself say, his mind not catching up quickly, preoccupied with all the sensations and emotions.

“Really?” Harry beamed at him, like he couldn’t believe it.

“Yeah.” Louis’ voice was barely a whisper.

Harry kissed him again, ignoring everyone else in the room and darting his tongue to taste Louis. And Louis let him take whatever he wanted, just like always.

 

~*~

 

Louis didn’t know how he found himself pinned against a wall at the frat house, while a wild party was taking place around them. He was sure no one was paying attention to them, too drunk and filled with adrenaline to care about anything other than screaming the lyrics of the songs that Steve was playing for them.

Harry’s mouth was unforgiving, his tongue moved slowly against Louis’, yet with a newfound intent. His large hands cupped Louis’ ass, supporting his weight and pulling him closer, as he pressed his hips against Louis’. Louis was on fire and if Harry told him to drop to his knees that moment, he would.

The song that was playing, some upbeat club remix of an 80s disco song—one of Steve’s remixes—shifted smoothly to a slow rock song that had everyone hooting. Louis mouthed along Harry’s jaw and moved down his neck, sucking softly at the sweaty skin there. Harry groaned and reached for Louis’ hands, pinning them on the wall above Louis’ head, leaving him open to anything Harry wanted to do to him.

“You’re driving me fucking crazy,” Harry said close to Louis’ ear, his words only for him. They were in their own little world, and Louis had lost focus again. He knew that he should have talked to Harry by now, he should have already been on his way back to his own apartment. But he couldn’t walk away from this yet. One kiss had turned to ten and then they’d found themselves stumbling inside Harry’s frat house, finding a corner quickly and getting lost in each other.

Louis bucked up his hips, searching for Harry’s lips again, but Harry pulled away. “Can we go upstairs?” he asked, biting his lip like it wasn’t obvious what the answer would be. “We don’t have to do anything really, I just—” he kissed Louis again, his heated tongue a contradiction to his words.

“Take me anywhere you want, Styles,” Louis said, receiving peck after peck, before Harry unglued his body from his and reached for his hand to pull him away and lead him through the crowd and up the stairs.

The hallway was filled with people, but Louis didn’t care about any of them His eyes were focused on his and Harry’s linked hands, as he walked them towards his room, getting a key out of his pocket and unlocking his door. He pulled Louis inside and closed the door behind him. “Can I lock it? People tend to try to find empty rooms and they’ll keep interrupting us. If you don’t feel comfortable, it’s alright.”

“Lock the door, Styles,” Louis said, as he stood in front of him, pulling the hem of his t-shirt up and over his head. Louis was delirious with want and the way Harry was watching every small movement of his hands made him dizzy. Louis let the t-shirt fall from his hands and he took a backwards steps towards the bed. “The door,” he reminded a frozen Harry, who was looking at him with lust filled eyes.

Harry sprung into action, turning around to lock the door, giving Louis enough time to lie down on the bed and take a deep breath trying to calm down. This was really happening, he was about to have sex with Harry and none of the reasons he wanted to do it were petty. He just wanted to feel Harry’s hands and mouth on him, he wanted to touch him and taste him in return. Even if it was the first and last night they would spend together, they had to do it right. A proper goodbye.

The mattress shifted as Harry climbed next to Louis, placing a hand on his hip and pulling him impossibly close for a sweet, soft kiss. Louis was too turned on to wait, he gripped Harry’s t-shirt—he had already gotten rid of his sweater as soon as they had walked inside the house—and pulled it up, finally touching his hot skin underneath.

“Off, Styles, take this thing off.”

Harry pulled back, staring at Louis for a moment, before he climbed off the bed completely, standing in front of Louis and biting his index finger. “I—I can’t do it, I’m sorry.”

Louis gaped at him, trying hard to ignore his painful erection in order to make sure Harry was okay. “What’s wrong? Look if you’re not ready, we can wait. We can make out. Or not. I can leave if you want.”

“No,” Harry rushed to say. “No, Lou, don’t go. It’s not that I don’t want to have sex with you.”

“Yeah, I’m a little confused right now, because it does seem like you don’t want that. Not that there’s a problem with that, just—You were ready to fuck me in front of the whole party a few minutes ago. What happened?”

Harry took a deep breath, turning away. Louis observed his tensed back, his ragged breath.

“Seriously, Harry, you’re freaking me out, what’s going on?” Louis went through their evening after the game trying to think if maybe he did or said anything that made Harry hesitant.

“I fucking lied, okay?” Harry said turning back around, eyes wide and cheeks a deep rosy colour. “I—Fuck! I’m sorry, Lou, but I didn’t know how to approach you again, and you didn’t even remember who I was and I really, really needed to talk to you again and—and—I couldn’t exactly go ‘hey, it’s that dude who stood you up, sorry about that, let’s go out and let me explain when you didn’t even remember we went to the same high school together.”

“Wait, what?” Louis must have misunderstood Harry’s incoherent rambling, because what the hell did he mean by saying Louis didn’t remember him? He was the one who didn’t remember Louis.

Harry sighed and sat down on the bed, slumping his shoulders and staring at the ground. “We went to high school together, we talked a little bit and you asked me out. I had the biggest, most embarrassing crush on you, but I wasn’t out and I was really scared I’d fuck it up. I was scared you wouldn’t understand and I… I guess I got cold feet. I stood you up. I don’t know if you remember any of this.”

“Harry…”

“When I saw you at the Mexican restaurant, I thought I was hallucinating, I swear to God. I was just talking to Liam about you, we were talking about first crushes and then I saw you and you were staring at me and I, stupidly, thought you were flirting. Oh, my God, I fucking winked at you! I just never expected to see you again, I didn’t know how to react.”

Louis remained silent, letting Harry’s words sink in, the feeling of shame he had been carrying all week, growing stronger inside him. He wanted to disappear, dig a hole in the ground and never come out of there again.

“When I talked to you and you didn’t remember me, I thought this was my second chance, that’s why I pretended I didn’t know you either, I thought we could have a fresh start, but it was stupid, it feels wrong, it feels like lying, taking advantage of you, I don’t know. I’m so sorry, please forgive me, Lou.”

“I remembered you,” Louis whispered, suddenly getting up and rushing to pick up his shirt and put it back on. What was he thinking? He was ready to have sex with Harry, as if Louis hadn’t been lying to him the whole time. Who the fuck had he let himself become? “I knew exactly who you were,” Louis said, louder than before. Harry looked up at him, eyebrows furrowed, as he watched Louis preparing to leave. “How could I forget the first boy who broke my heart?”

Harry closed his eyes, flinching like the reminder of what had happened was hurting him as much as it used to hurt Louis. “I’m so, so—”

“I fucked up. I fucked up bad,” Louis interrupted him before he could apologize again. Fuck. Louis had gotten mad at a closeted boy, who was just scared to date another boy for the first time, he didn’t deserve an apology and above all he didn’t deserve Harry. “I only agreed to date you, because I wanted to get revenge.”

“Revenge?”

“Yeah, for standing me up and for not remembering me. I wanted to make you fall for me and then dump you. I don’t even know how I thought it would work. This is obviously the stupidest idea I’ve ever had.”

Louis was now standing with his hand on the doorknob, ready to unlock it and run away. He should have done that already, he didn’t know if he could handle seeing Harry’s betrayed expression, but he turned his head to look at him one more time anyway.

Harry still looked confused, not mad or betrayed or sad, just confused. Louis wished he could find better words to explain himself and maybe apologize properly, but he just wanted to go and hide in his room and find a university in another continent to transfer there and never come back.

“Well, your plan was a success,” Harry said, not moving from his spot to stop Louis from opening the door, no matter how much Louis wished he would. “You did make me fall for you.”

Louis opened the door and ran.

 


	6. Chapter 6

“Lou, it’s him again,” Bebe said after taking a look at the screen of his phone that was thrown on the mattress between them.

They were laying on Louis’ bed, watching a RuPaul’s Drag Race marathon, while Louis avoided the real world. Steve had joined them for the first seasons, but he had to work on a project so he’d left them quite early in the day. Louis’ phone hadn’t stopped ringing all day, and Bebe had tried to convince Louis to answer Harry’s calls, but the truth was that he wasn’t ready to listen to whatever Harry had to say. 

“Turn it off,” Louis said, eyes focused on his laptop’s screen where Alyssa and Tatianna were killing their lipsync. 

“At least read his texts. See what he has to say..” 

“He probably wants to yell at me for being an asshole, not that he doesn’t have the right.” 

Bebe paused the video, shoved the phone into Louis’ hands and turned to look at him. “Well, if you think he has the right to be mad, give him a chance to say his piece?” 

“I’m not dumb,” Louis rolled his eyes, ignoring the phone on his lap that started vibrating again. “I can admit he’s right, but I’m not going to let him make me feel even worse. I know I fucked up, I apologized. Now I want to move on.” 

“But maybe he doesn’t want to yell, Lou. Maybe he wants to talk things out with you.” 

“There’s nothing to say. He fucked up, I fucked up, there’s nothing to do to fix this.” 

“Jeez, you’re so dramatic. It’s not like you ruined each other’s life. You were both immature and stupid, yes, but you keep acting like a kid. Grow up and just talk to him.” 

Louis grabbed his phone and made a show of shutting it off. “I don’t want to talk to him. I want to finish watching the All Stars season and then eat ten pounds of junk food, before I finally go to bed. May I?” 

Bebe rolled her eyes, settling back to her spot. “You may do as you wish, but, dude, you’re being a drama queen. Just talk to him.” 

Louis pressed the button to resume the video. “There’s nothing left to say.” 

There wasn’t. Whatever had happened between them, whatever it had meant, it was over and Louis wanted to move on with his life, forgetting everything related to Harry Styles. 

 

~*~

 

Louis was in the middle of practicing for his piano class, when Steve knocked on his bedroom door, interrupting him. 

“Can I come in?” Steve called from the other side of the door, as soon as Louis stopped playing. 

Louis got up and went to open the door himself. “Hey, what’s up, Steve?” Louis asked, but his voice got stuck in his throat, when the door swung open to reveal Harry Styles standing in front of him instead of Steve, who was walking away from them and towards his room. “What the hell?” 

“I’m not getting involved,” Steve yelled, before he closed the door to his room, leaving Louis to deal with a Harry who looked anything but the friendly, sweet person Louis had grown fond of. 

Louis took a step back and tried to close the door in panic, but Harry stopped it with his foot. “Just let me fucking talk to you.” 

“No,” Louis pushed back. 

“Please, just give me a minute.” 

“No!” 

Harry took a step back, giving up and letting the door shut. Louis collapsed against it. The truth was it had been a week since he’d last seen Harry. A week during which Harry had texted and called, but it had been radio silence for the past two days, so he thought that he’d given up. He never expected Harry to appear at his place and use Steve — yeah, great friend, by the way — to trick Louis into facing him. 

“You’re such an asshole right now, why won’t you let me talk to you?” 

“I know what you want to say,” Louis said calmly, but he was sure Harry could hear him clearly. “You want to tell me that I’m horrible and that I broke your heart, I fucking know.” 

“Shit, Lou, you’ve always been such a stubborn dickhead. Great, thanks for assuming shit about me again. I guess that’s a talent of yours.” 

“Just leave, Styles.” 

“Alright, I’ll fucking leave, just let me look you in the eye for one moment and tell you something, and then I’ll leave you alone. Give me just a minute. Please.” 

Louis didn’t want to have to face him. He knew that they were bound to bump into each other on campus at some point, but with their vastly different schedules, and if Louis was extra careful to avoid Harry’s usual spots, he was confident he wouldn’t have to see him often. If he was being honest with himself, the reason that Louis didn’t want to face Harry again wasn’t his fear of being humiliated by Harry, but that he couldn’t bear to watch him walk out of his life again. It was better if Louis did it first, he had already used their time apart to get used to the idea of not being around Harry anymore, and he didn’t want to have to do it all over again. 

But it was already too late. Harry was right. Louis did owe him a second. He sighed and turned around to opened the door again. Harry’s soft expression was the opposite of what he expected, it didn’t match the words he’d said just moments ago. 

Louis took a moment to really look at Harry, noticing that he looked pale and tired, and that the crease between his eyebrows seemed to be permanently etched there. 

“I’m sorry,” was all Louis could whisper to him. 

“You’re so stubborn and loud and you call me obnoxious, but you know what, Lou? I think you lack self-awareness when it comes to using that word.” Louis accepted Harry’s rant, holding his head high, determined to not talk back. He knew what he’d done and, although he’d always been too proud to bite his tongue when someone insulted him, he knew it wasn’t the time for that. “But you’re also the best thing that has happened to me since I moved here.” 

Louis didn’t let the soft dimpley smile get to him. He suppressed any hopes that arose as soon as Harry spoke those words to him. He wasn’t allowed to have hopes when it came to Harry. Not after everything that had happened. 

“I meant it when I said that I had a crush on you when we were in high school,” Harry kept talking, moving towards Louis and stepping inside his room. “But after I got to actually get to know you, the new confident, smart, amazing you, I couldn’t do anything to save myself from falling for you. Fucking hard, Lou. And I know you don’t feel the same, I know that you were pretending, but you’ll never convince me that some of the moments we spent together weren’t real, that your touches and kisses didn’t mean anything.” 

Louis tore his gaze away for the first time. He wanted to admit the truth, tell him that yes, he fucking fell for him along the way, and he had tried really hard to deny it, but he wasn’t stupid. He had fallen for Harry Styles the moment he’d stood in front of him in a ridiculously outrageously pink hat, wrapping a rainbow boa around Louis’ neck and proving all of Louis’ assumptions wrong one by one. But could he really say it? What if he did and then things didn’t work out? 

As if Harry could read his mind, he took a step closer to Louis, not quite touching him, but Louis could still feel the energy radiating off Harry’s body. “Just say what’s on your mind for once, Lou. One time. Take a risk, talk.” 

Louis swallowed hard, taking a deep breath, and another one, before he raised his head and locked eyes with Harry. “I am sorry,” he whispered again. “Not only because I hurt you — I’m sure you’ll get over it — but because I fucking lost my chance with you. I took something great and destroyed it for no reason.” 

They stared at each other for a long moment, long enough for Louis to wonder if Harry would walk away, satisfied with leaving things the way they were. Louis wasn’t sure what he really wanted, since going back in time and stopping himself from being an asshole wasn’t really a choice. 

“You didn’t destroy anything, if you’d just listen for once in your life. You didn’t destroy anything.” Harry raised his hand, reaching for Louis, but he seemed to hesitate, deciding to walk further inside Louis’ room instead. Louis closed the door, knowing that their discussion wasn’t over. “If you’d have answered my calls or seen any of my messages, you’d know that I don’t give a fuck about what was probably the stupidest plan in the history of revenge plans.” 

“You don’t?” 

Harry laughed, looking lighter suddenly, but it seemed like all the weight that Harry had been carrying on his shoulders had been transferred on Louis’. “I fucked up, too. I lied, too. Not to mention that I fucked up with you first. So if we’re on the same page, we can agree that we both fucked up.” 

Louis shrugged his shoulders. “Your intentions weren’t vile.” 

“Yours weren’t either. Jesus, Louis, why do you want to torture yourself? You obviously feel sorry about what happened, you told me you are, why can’t we move past this? Have a fresh start?” 

“How can you overlook everything?” 

“I’m not overlooking anything. I just — ” Harry looked down at his feet, licking his lips. Louis tried to focus on the serious discussion, instead of how much he wanted to taste those lips one last time. “I know that I want you in my life. You never make me feel bad, you’ve always been so nice, a little stubborn and a little bratty, but that’s you, Lou. That’s why I love you.” 

“You fucking what?” Louis shrieked. Of all the ways he’d thought this conversation might go, hearing the L word was the last thing he’d ever imagined. He coughed to get his voice to its natural octave. “What did you say?” 

“Like you haven’t figured it out.” Harry rolled his eyes. “I’m in love with you, of course I am.” 

Louis’ instinct was to open the door and run again. He was good at it, running away. But a bigger part of him just wanted to give in. Would it be so bad to let the past go? Would it be so bad if he forgave himself, since Harry had already done the same? Would it be so bad if he gave in? 

“I don’t care if you love me back. I know you don’t. But I want a chance to — ” 

“I think I might — ” but he wasn’t sure how to finish his thought. He was in love with Harry. The only thing holding him back was his fear of things not working out. 

“Just say whatever you want to say, Lou,” Harry pleaded. “But give me an answer, I need to know in order to move on, too.” 

“I might love you, too,” Louis breathed out and turned around, opening the door to leave. 

“Hey, hey, hey,” Harry reached for him, putting a hand on his shoulder and turning him around, then closing the door again. “Can you stand still for one second? Why are you so afraid to face the situation?” 

“Because I don’t really know what you want,” Louis murmured. 

“You don’t,” Harry deadpanned. “I just told you I love you and you can’t figure out what I might possibly want. Well, let me say it out loud really slowly for you, so you can understand.” Harry caressed Louis’ cheek tenderly for a moment, captivating Louis’ gaze. “I.” He leaned down, placing a peck on Louis’ cheek. “Want.” On Louis’ nose. “To be.” On Louis’ jaw. “With you.” Harry sucked Louis’ lips into a gentle kiss, not pushing for more. 

Louis wrapped his arms around Harry’s neck, dipping his tongue inside Harry’s mouth. Harry let out a whine from the back of his throat, his large hands caressing Louis’ body, before he rested them on Louis’ ass for a moment, pulling him as close as he could. Harry rested his forehead against Louis’, nudging his cheek with his nose before he pecked him one more time. 

“Please tell me this means yes,” Harry chuckled against Louis’ skin. 

Louis bit his lip. He could feel sweat dampening his fringe and he had never felt his heart beat faster. This was a leap of faith and he knew things could go sour very suddenly, but he was done pretending that this wasn’t all he wanted. He nodded and stood on his tiptoes to steal another kiss from Harry, not letting him pull away, deepening the kiss right away. 

“Lou.” Harry tried to pull back but Louis wasn’t ready to give up on him yet. “Nah-ah, babe, give me a moment.” 

“What?” Louis asked. “Last time you asked me to give you a moment while doing this, we ended up not talking for a week.” 

“So that’s why it’s my turn to get revenge now.” Harry stepped back, leaving Louis staring at him confused, the lost of intimacy not a pleasant feeling. “You left me hanging for a week, baby. Now it’s my turn to get even.” 

Louis huffed, trying to look irritated, but he was nothing by endeared by Harry’s smirk. “What does that even mean?” 

“It means that you’re going to lie on your bed and let me have my way with you. You’re not allowed to boss me around. I know how hard it’s for you to not tell other people what to do, but tonight it’s my turn to do that. Can you handle that?”

“Is that a bet?” 

“No, no, I’m quite certain I can make you shut up, apart from the occasional moans. I’ve always imagined you to be loud in bed.” 

Louis raised an eyebrow, quite interested in the sudden turn of events. “Haven’t I already told you?” 

“Shouldn’t I put it to the test?” 

Louis nodded towards the unmade bed. “Go ahead.” 

Harry dove towards Louis, kissing him hard, before he picked him up by his thighs and carried him to the bed, dropping him gently on the mattress and climbing on top of him. Harry pecked him again, before he moved down to his neck, sucking hard on the exposed skin there. A satisfied sigh fell from Louis’ lips, as he raised his own arms above his head, leaving his body open and vulnerable for Harry. 

“I’m going to prove to you how much you need me, baby,” Harry said with his typical confidence, as he stood on his knees next to Louis. He took off his jacket and then his shirt, throwing them somewhere behind him, before he straddled Louis’ thighs. Louis wasn’t hard yet, but with Harry’s intense stare and the way he moved around him, manhandling Louis’ body however he wanted, he was well on his way there. “I think as your punishment I should tie you up, make sure you won’t get away from me again.” 

Louis whined, blushing and embarrassed by the needy sounds that were leaving his mouth. Steve could probably hear them, but Louis didn’t care. 

“You want that?” Harry asked, straightening up as he unbuttoned his jeans slowly. “I didn’t know you’re into that.” 

“Please, Harry,” Louis reached to touch Harry’s skin, tracing the ink on his belly, he wanted to get his mouth on him, taste his heat, take everything he so foolishly denied himself for so long. 

Harry rested his hands on top of Louis’, his grip tight. “Don’t you ever do that to me again. Don’t you dare disappear again. From now on we talk. Whatever happens, we we discuss about it and we find a way to fix it. Promise me, Lou.” 

“I promise,” Louis whispered, using Harry’s grip as leverage to push his body up and kiss Harry. 

“And then I’ll fuck your stupidity and stubbornness out of you,” Harry said, biting Louis’ bottom lip. 

“This revenge sounds more like a win-win situation,” Louis commented, moving his hands around Harry’s body, caressing him for a moment, before sliding one hand underneath the jeans to rest on his ass, and using the other to trace his clothed cock. 

“Fuck,” Harry sighed, letting his head fall back. “I don’t even know what I want to do with you.” Sure in his movements, Louis reached underneath Harry’s jeans and underwear, taking hold of his cock and stroking it lightly, eliciting some long moans from Harry. 

“You could let me finish you here and now, in your pants, too eager to wait to get completely undressed,” Louis rasped. “Or you could fuck my mouth.” 

“I’d love to fuck your — Lou, please more — I’d love to fuck your mouth,” Harry said, rocking his hips in sync with Louis’ languid movement. “I’ve imagined how pretty your lips would look around my cock, jerked off to the thought of it.” 

Louis gave him a slow half-smile, pecking him, before he spoke. “You did?” 

Harry nodded. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you, babe. You’re the — fuck,” Harry seemed unable to keep his thoughts together, so Louis purposely tightened his grip, jerking him faster. 

“You can come, Styles, don’t think about it too much. We have a lot of time ahead of us for you to do whatever you want with me.” 

Harry’s hips stilled suddenly, shooting off hard into Louis’ hand as he worked him through it. His voice was small, calling Louis’ name in needy chants. Louis slipped his hand out of Harry’s pants, pulled Harry down on top of him, and swallowed all of those sounds with a kiss, tasting Harry’s satisfaction. They stayed there, exchanging soft kisses, holding Harry in his arms, even if their position wasn’t the most comfortable, Louis didn’t want to make him move until he was ready. 

“Are you okay, Styles?” Louis asked, voice soft. 

“Call me Harry,” Harry demanded, untangling himself from Louis’ arm and sitting next to him on the bed. “Call me Harry or else you’re taking care of that,” he eyed Louis’ obvious erection pointedly, “by yourself.” 

Louis huffed and put a hand underneath his sweats, taking a hold of his own aching cock. Fucking finally. “You think I have a problem with that?” he shot Harry a cheeky wink, pushed his sweats down, and moving his hand slowly, making a show out of it. Harry glared at him, pouting his lips, clearly irritated, making Louis laugh. “What’s wrong,  _ Styles _ ?” 

“I wanna do that,” he said, reaching for Louis’ hand and pushing it away. Harry wrapped his hand around him, thumbing the leaking head, before he quickly leaned down and darted his tongue out, tasting Louis. 

“What the fuck, Harry? Warn a man the next time,” Louis said, after bucking his hips up involuntarily. “Sorry, sorry,” he rushed to say, but Harry didn’t seem to be bothered much. 

“There we go. That’s my name. What’s my name? Say it for me?” 

“Styles,” Louis said, although his voice didn’t come across as confident and unaffected he wanted. Well, he could feel Harry’s breath on his cock, there was so much a man could endure, before he cracked. 

“Are you sure?” Harry took him in his mouth, suckling on the tip, enough to make Louis want to fuck his mouth, not enough for Louis to get any pleasure out of it. 

“Alright, you win,  _ Harry _ ,” Louis rolled his eyes. “Now would you kindly suck me off, I’m dying over here.” 

Harry sighed dramatically. “Always the drama queen,” he murmured, taking Louis in his mouth. He sucked hard, going for it right away, while using his hand to jerk whatever part of Louis’ cock he couldn’t fit inside his mouth. 

“Um, I’m sorry. I haven’t done… I’m not gonna last. It’s been a while...” 

Harry pulled away and looked at Louis through his eyelashes. Seductive bastard. Louis was sure he knew exactly what he was doing. “Just come on my face, Lou.” 

Unable to control himself after that, Louis shot hot against Harry’s lips and chin, moaning, his hips following Harry’s hand movement, as he stroked him through his orgasm. 

“Need a tissue,” Harry said with a smug smirk, as soon as Louis calmed down, although he had no idea how his heart was still racing inside his chest. 

“Don’t move,” Louis said, not ready to give up on the feel of touching Harry. 

“It’ll only be a second, Lou.” 

Louis reached for him, darting his tongue out and licking Harry clean. “It’s just come, you big baby.” He fell back into the mattress, grabbing a pillow from the side and putting it under his head. “Now cuddle me.” 

Harry didn’t move, he was looking at Louis with his mouth open and eyes brighter than Louis had ever seen them. “Please, don’t fucking leave me again.” 

Louis laughed out loud, pulling Harry to lie against his chest. He didn’t know if Harry could feel how fast his heart was beating, but he was hoping that he could hear the testament of his promise. He hadn’t felt this light for a long time. Maybe it was the sex high, but Louis could finally breathe properly, he felt like he could jump out of the bed and run around the city, adrenaline making his veins pump with energy. But above all he wanted to stay in that bed forever. Or at least for a little longer. 

“Lou, did you realize that we both suck at getting revenge?” Harry said after a moment. His short curls brushed against Louis’ chin as he turned his head to look at Louis. 

“We’re even, though.” 

“That’s true.” 

“Alright, cuddles now and then we’re going out to get something to eat, I’m starving.” 

“Nice plan,” Harry yawned, and Louis could tell he was already drifting off. 

Louis tightened his arms around Harry, bringing him closer, before falling asleep. 

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and Comments are always appreciated.  
> Thank you for reading. xx


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